Tangled In This Love
by Mercury-Serenity
Summary: Sequel to Salvation- This is a story about Leah's daughter and her imprint. It's a story about giving in to feelings of tenderness and forgiveness. It's a story about letting go of any inhibitions and tangling yourself in the love that's before you.
1. Chapter 1

**Tangled in this Love**

**AN: **So, here is the first chapter to my new story. It's part of my little universe. I do hope that you like it. I tried betaing it as much as I could. My betareader is in FL with her boyfriend, so I have to do all things myself. Anyways, I apologize for any mistake found. This is based on Caleb's POV, so it's going to be long. Anyways, enjoy. I promise to post the second chapter soon. Also, I started writing my story about Gianna and Harrison, for those that PM me and want to read this story.

* * *

**Again**

**Caleb's POV**

"Caleb, you came!" Leslie Brooks squealed, as she opened the screen door and pulled me in to a tight hug. "Wow, you are so elegant. Thank you for coming!" she said, as she pulled away and led me inside.

"I couldn't miss it," I said, swallowing hard and forcing a smile. "I got you and Brady a present."

"I have something even better," she said. "I have a friend that would like to meet you."

"Me?" I asked confused.

"Yes," she nodded and ushered me out to the backyard. "Go ahead. She's in the backyard, on the swing set near the storage hut."

"Who is she?" I asked, turning to face Leslie. She was smiling suspiciously. She motioned me to go and closed the screen door. I turned around to face the big yard and I could hear the muttering from the guests that were inside.

"Oh, sorry, son," Brady said, as he walked inside the house. "She's back inside." He chuckled. "Follow me."

"Who is she?" I asked curiously.

"You'll see," he said.

He pushed me into a small room and I stopped. I could sense her. She stood in front of me, her back facing me. I turned to Brady, but he was heading the opposite direction. Her fresh scent of lemon and strawberries made my heart contrite with tender memories.

It wasn't intentionally that I broke the rules. I knew that she existed. She had been present in my thoughts since that day I met her. Even when I told myself that it would be best to forget her. I still recall that fateful day when I first saw her. She was so tiny and beautiful, so perfect. Her purple pacifier fell on the floor, when I was walking back to the restaurant kitchen to fetch some Iced Tea for a customer. It was strange, how my soul knew that it was her. I felt a force that made me look at the direction. My eyes were fixed on hers. I couldn't stop staring. In that instant, my life became fulfilled. It had a purpose and that purpose sat in front of me. She smiled at me and struggled to get off her booster seat. I didn't pay attention to the sounds that were on the background. All that I cared about was her and my need to protect her.

I carefully leaned over and picked up her pacifier, my eyes still resting on her. She clapped contently in her seat and opened her arms for me. I wanted to shield her from the world, but that was just a fleeting feeling. As soon as I looked at the person that sat beside her, I knew that my chances of getting close to her were obsolete.

"What are you staring at? Are you gonna give her the pacifier or not?" Byron Brooks asked curtly. I nodded and looked down at my hand and stared at the purple pacifier. "Well," he said curtly. "Are you gonna give her the pacifier or do we have to leave the restaurant?"

"No," I said quickly, walking around the table and stopping. "I can go and wash it for her. I don't want her to get sick. I wouldn't want that for her." I said, my eyes fixed on her cute face. "What's her name?" I asked, smiling down at her.

"None of your… oh," he paused, pinching the bridge of his nose and shook his head. "This isn't good, dude. This isn't good." He muttered under his breath and stood up from his chair. "I have to go. Can you get me the check, please?"

"No," I said, raising my voice. "Wait, I'm not your waiter. Don't go so fast," I said pleadingly. "I know that you… you don't get along with my brother. You probably think that I'm like him…." I said, unable to conjure a single proper sentence. I was captivated by the tiny princess that giggled contently and tried to reach out for me. "I don't know what to do. I didn't know that this was going to happen to me."

"Just stay away from her. She's too good for you," he ordered me and I involuntarily stepped away from the table.

"I know," I muttered. "She's the best part of me." I said.

"No," he glowered. "She's nothing to you. Stay away from her," My day darkened and the last thread of hope slowly vanished from my heart when he said those words. "I can't believe this. I have to go and tell my brother. He's gonna be pissed."

"I would like," I began. "I would like to speak to your brother about… um, his daughter and me. I don't want to be away from her. I care for her. She's like a beautiful sister to me-"

"You want, what? You aren't in no position to tell me what to do, you got it?" He interjected furiously. His eyes adverted from me and then to the little girl that sat to his right. "Cal, are you done?"

"Nope," the little girl said nonchalantly, as she licked the ketchup off her French fry. "I still have to finish Sunshine's food." She said, her little face was covered with the red goo and she smiled happily at me. "How are you?" she said in a singsong voice. "I'm Caleigh Brooks. That's my sister,"

"Cal, why did I tell you about talking to strangers?" he scolded her.

"Not to talk to them," she said, pouting. "But he's not a stranger. He is a friend. He's nice." She smiled, tilting her head to me. She looked at my imprint and tapped her shoulder. "She's my little sister, friend."

"Nice to meet you, Caleigh," I said weakly.

She giggled and continued eating her food. My imprint's eyes continued to stare at me. She was smiling the most adorable dimpled smile. "Come 'ere," she managed to say. I forgot about Byron and walked over to her. I leaned closer to her and she motioned me to get closer. I don't know what power possessed me, but I had to do whatever she asked me to. "Coseer," she giggled.

"She said closer," Caleigh interpret for me and sighed. "She can barely speak," she said, shaking her head like an adult.

I leaned closer to my imprint and was surprised when she wrapped her tiny arms around my neck. She hid her face on the crook of my neck and sighed satisfied. It was like she had longed for me. As if our souls had merged together and she knew that I would protect her and keep her safe from harm. I would never be the same again.

"Caleb," One of my coworker called my name, as he approached the table.

"Caybey," My imprint giggled. "Caybey,"

"No, Sunny, it's Caleb," Caleigh corrected her.

"Cay?" she said confused. Her sister Caleigh shook her head and returned to eating her fries.

"I'm sorry, Steve, how can I help you?" I chuckled, as I looked at my imprint making faces at her sister.

"What a pretty baby," he chortled, touching Sunshine's cheek. "I see that you have a new fan," Steve laughed. "I took a picture of them earlier. She didn't even smile at me. Maybe I can take a picture of all of you?" he said, eyeing Byron and then me. "I'll take it for free, because Caleb is my good friend." He said, winking at me.

"Sure," I said, smiling at my little imprint. She pulled away from her hug and kissed my chin tenderly. She poked my face with her index finger and started studying my features. I stroke her hair and kissed her forehead. She smelled like lemons and strawberries, mixed with her natural innocent scent. It was like a comforting pillow where I could rest my weary head. I leaned my forehead to hers and she did too. I looked in to her light brown orbs and smiled contently. Her eyes were a soft shade of brown with honey specks around the iris. I didn't fear anyone or anything when she was beside me.

"Make it fast, I have to go," Byron gritted, interrupting my train of thoughts. "I don't have all day."

"OK, I'll get the camera," Steve said, glaring at Byron. "Dude, give me five minutes," he said, punching my arm. "Don't let the little girl fall." He said cautiously.

"I won't," I said, bouncing Sunshine in my arms.

"Watch out, stupid. You could hurt her." Byron said, as he walked over to where we stood and placed a hand on Sunshine's arm.

"I would never hurt her," I said defensively. It'd never crossed my mind to hurt anyone, not even my imprint. "I would never harm her, Byron." I said, annoyed. "She's my life. You should know…"

"Don't you fucking get smart with me, boy."

"Do you have to use such foul language in front of her? She's just a little girl. She doesn't need to hear you cuss."

"Fuck you," he hissed. "She's my niece and you are nothing to her. Remember your place," he said, snatching her from my arms. Sunshine bottom lip quivered and big fat tears fell down her face. She reached out for me, but her uncle kept her away from me.

"Cay," she sobbed, wriggling in her uncle's arms. I felt my heart breaking with every sob that escaped her lips. It was inhumane to cause an angel so much pain.

"Please," I whispered my heart shattering with her cries. "Can I carry her? I can calm he-"

"Ready?" Steve said from behind me. "I got the camera ready." He said, winking at Caleigh. She nodded happily and hopped on the same spot. "You like my digital camera?" he asked her. She nodded and stood beside me. "Ok, I'm going to take a picture."

"Sure, make it fast." Byron said, turning to get Caleigh. He narrowed his eyes and motioned his niece to his side. Caleigh obeyed and slumped her shoulders, as she walked over to him. "Caleigh, smile, so we can get out of here."

"I can't take the picture," Steve said, shaking his head. "The little baby girl is sad and the picture won't come out nice. Can you hand her to him? Cale is great with babies." He said, smiling impishly at me. I silently thanked him when Byron reluctantly handed me my angel. "See, she already stopped crying. Cale, you are a genius!" he said exaggerating.

"Hurry the fuck up,"

"And you kiss your mother with that mouth?" Steve said, arching an eyebrow with annoyance. "Fine, whatever, on the count of three." He said, getting behind the lens. "One, two, three," The flash caught me off guard and Sunshine's tight hug was a surprise too. She peppered my face with tender kisses. I felt content. It'd been long since I felt so complete. She accepted me unconditionally. I wasn't a loser in her eyes. I wanted to triumph in life, because I wanted her to be proud of me.

"Let's go, Sunny," Byron said, prying her from my arms.

"No!" she squealed. "No quiero! Uncke By, no!"

I felt like someone ripped my heart out of my chest. I watched them, unable to do anything to secure a smile from her lips.

"She said 'I don't want to', in Spanish," Caleigh whispered, as she tugged the leg of my pant and hugged my leg. "I'll see you soon."

"Bye," I said dejectedly, as I watched her run to her uncle. They left the restaurant, leaving me broken and hurting for my imprint. I could see them from the restaurant's windows. Sunshine had felt the pull that my soul made to her and couldn't stand the separation that was forced upon us. She was bawling and crying her little eyes. I wanted to run out of the restaurant and follow after them. I had to know that she would be fine.

"What the hell is wrong with that idiot, Cale?" Steve asked me, shaking his head.

"I don't know," I lied and went back to work.

I thought about my imprint and decided that when I was done with my duties at work, I would stop by Leah's house. If someone would understand, I knew that it would be her. I needed her to know that I'd imprinted on her youngest daughter and wanted to be part of her life. I was anxious and excited, because I would see her again. I had a different outlook on life, thanks to my Sunshine. I was finally going to have a better future.

But shit constantly happened in my life. I was constantly being butt-fucked by destiny. I wasn't planned and I definitely didn't have the best parents in the world. My dad was a great man, constantly working and barely spent time at home. He loved us, I knew that he did, but our monetary situation wasn't the best. Mom, well, let's say that her world revolved around my brother Emerson. And that left me outside the loop. My brother was their first son and he still required a lot of attention. He was disrespectful, conniving and just an ass. I know that it isn't polite to talk about your siblings, but damn it, he didn't see how great his life was. All he did was complaint. My parents doted on him and casted me aside.

"You are a good boy, Caleb," Dad would often say and pat my shoulder, before he went back in to the house.

If they only knew how desperately I needed their attention. I was silently crying for crumbs of their love. I went to school and got straight A's. I didn't smoke, drink or do any drugs, but that wasn't enough for them. I couldn't act out, because then Mom would say that I was selfish. They were always telling me that they loved Emerson and I the same, but it didn't look the same way to me.

After many forgotten birthdays, I gave up on the idea of becoming the perfect son. I got tired of waiting for my parents to look at me. I was aware that Emerson Call was their favorite son. He was the one that was so fucked up, that needed the most attention.

"His imprint doesn't love him," Mom always said. "You need to be grateful that shit like this doesn't happen to you. You are a healthy, strong boy and you don't need the extra attention that we have to give Emy." She sighed and then submerged herself in her drinking habits.

I would nod and go in to my room and sulk for hours. I did need attention too. Whenever I needed to talk to my father, he was too busy giving Emerson advice. I also needed his expertise in life. There was never time for me… and if there was time for me available, it was to give me a sermon about how much my brother Emerson needed all of their love and time.

If I ever acted out to get their attention, then I was a bad brother. Because, apparently, Emerson needed them more than me. Honestly, I was excluded from my brother's life. I was never closed to him. We never had a chance to bond. I knew that he was a mess and sometimes, I wish that I had helped my brother, but the difference in age was big. We had nothing in common, only our parents and last names.

Emerson was fucked up beyond reasons. He did drugs and there were times, that I would come home and find him stewing in his own vomit. I pitied him. His own imprint didn't accept him. She didn't want him around her. He tried hard to be what she wanted, but all she wanted was Byron Brooks. The mere mention of his name angered me.

"Ugh!" I shouted, as I walked out of the restaurant and into the parking lot. I'd parked my motorcycle at the far end. "I hate my life." I shouted, kicking a pebble that I crossed in my path to my motorcycle. I put on my helmet and got on the bike. I peeled out of the parking lot at top speed. I had to clear my head.

I tried hard to think of something else, but misery loves company. I thought of my brother. I wondered what I would find the moment that I stepped into the house. Would he be drunk? Wasted beyond his control?

I didn't know how Emerson slowly fell into the pits of darkness. Didn't he have any self pride? I knew that imprinting was everything, but, why couldn't he be happy with having Marie Black as his friend? She asked him many times if they could be friends, but he never accepted it. It was his way or nothing else. He became bitter afterwards and slowly drifted away from us. He was rude all the time and would curse at our mother whenever she told him how useless Marie Black was. Little did I know that the same day I'd imprinted, my brother would fight Byron and they would both die.

I remember the day of Emerson's burial. It'd been another rainy day in La Push. The sky was filled with gray clouds and the funeral service had been too suffocating for me. I had to get out of this place. I had to run away from my house. I wanted to find a place where I could find peace, because I was falling down a pit of suffering. Deep down, I wanted someone to find me and take me away from this misery. How wrong was I? I was ten miles away from home and no one cared enough to come and get me. I wandered through the woods, alone, desperate for someone to have compassion of me, but there was no one. Or so I thought.

I was drifting into a vortex of depression. It'd been four days since I'd seen my little imprint. I missed her. I thought of her smile and my suffering slowly eased. At least, I had her.

"Cay," A distant voice said. I looked around and found her running towards me. I blinked hard, because this was too much for me to bear. I'd been thinking of her. I suddenly felt the pull beckoning me to her. She was wearing a purple and pink rain coat with little flower pattern rain boots that were a size too big for her. She ran into my arms and I gently scooped her up. I inhaled her soft scent. I needed to memorize the way her tiny arms felt when she hugged me. I was proud of her. She was like a precious little sister to me. I needed to protect her from everything. I was angry, because they'd not been paying attention to her. She'd wandered alone in to the woods. I immediately got into protector mode and held her tightly in my arms.

"Sunshine," I whispered in to her hair. She felt so delicate in my arms. I don't know how it was possible, but the sky wasn't gloomy anymore. The sun peeked out of the clouds and the rain ceased to fall. "Oh, Sunny, my girl. What are you doing alone? It's dangerous." I asked her, as I slowly pulled away from our hug. She shrugged and pulled her purple and pink pacifier out of her raincoat pocket. She handed it to me and I reluctantly took it. "Are you giving me this?" I asked confused. She shook her head and smiled impishly, snatching the pacifier out of my hands. She shoved it in her mouth and motioned me to put her down.

"Bye," she giggled and began to run away. I ran after her, making sure that she was safe. We ran for a few yards, when I stopped on my tracks. I hadn't noticed that I was near the northern side of the cemetery.

"What are you doing here?" Benedict Brooks asked me, as he scooped his daughter in his arms. "Why is she with you?" Sunshine stared sadly at me, as if she knew that the worst day of my life, would suddenly befall on me.

"I was walking and found Sunshine running in the woods," I said, looking down at the floor. I had only phased a few months ago. "I needed to protect her."

"No," he sneered. "You probably came to laugh at us. You are glad that my brother is dead, aren't you? You were there the day my brother died. You could've stopped them!"

"No, I couldn't," I said sincerely. "I never wanted your brother or mine to die. It was a stupid way to die. They could've talked, but they were too full of themselves to reach a middle ground."

"You are just like him," he glowered. "Who the fuck gives you the right to speak of my brother like that? Get out of here," he shouted, his voice echoing in the distance. "Get out of my presence and don't ever cross my path. You aren't welcome anywhere my family is."

"I can't," I said, shaking my head. I pointed at Sunshine and she looked at me. "She's my imprint. I can't be away from her. How would you feel if you aren't with Leah?"

"You… you… fuck… you imprinted on my daughter?" he stuttered, slowly placing Sunshine on the floor. "Go with Mama," he ordered Sunshine.

She shook her head and walked towards me. "No," she said, shaking her head.

"Don't you dare touch her," he whispered angrily. "You have three seconds to get away from my face. I swear that I'll kill you if you ever mention that she's your imprint again. My daughter can't be with a Call. Your brother took my best friend away from him. How can I look at you, when every time I see you… I see your brother. I'm burying my brother and the wound is still too fresh. I'll-" he paused, his voice trembling.

"I can't stay away from her," I said honestly. "I rather die than live without her,"

"Then die," he groaned. "Die and disappear from this world. You are as worthless as your brother." He said, as tears fell down his face. "I hope that you die!"

He walked back to where his daughter stood and carried her off. Sunshine began to cry, her arms flailing, as she begged me with her eyes to take her away.

"Cay!" she wailed loudly. "Cay, please,"

I wanted to run to her, but what could I do. I was only sixteen years old. I didn't know anything. I was desperate. I didn't have any real friends in the pack, because my mother's gossiping and my brother's destructive ways had alienated everyone we once cared about. I had no one; I was just a body that occupied space. I was empty, destroyed and now, nothing would ever made sense, because they took the only good thing from my life; my imprint.

"I'm sorry," I said, swallowing the lump in my throat, as I raised my hand, hoping that I would feel a warm hand guiding me in this wretched life.

The next day, I forced myself out of bed. I packed my belongings and didn't even bother saying goodbye to my parents. I would let them know later, it's not like they would miss me. They were grieving and mourning for Emerson, their true son. My absence wouldn't be felt... it was truly useless. I put my duffle bags in the passenger seat and placed my motorcycle on the bed of my brother's truck and drove down the street. I stopped to fill the tank with gas and went on my way to my new life. I drove around, not knowing where I truly wanted to go. I was so deep in thought that I didn't notice that I was driving up Brady and Leslie Brooks' driveway. I looked ahead and found him sitting outside on his porch, rocking softly, as he clutched at a piece of cloth that apparently held a lot of value to him.

I ran my hand over my face and cursed my luck. I'd struggled to get out of the car; there were things that I had to say to him. If he was like his son, I would only expect the worst. I swallowed hard and forced myself to walk over to his house. The first thing I thought that he would do was insult me. But he surprised me, when he motioned me to sit beside him.

I reluctantly agreed. Why the hell was I here? "I heard that you imprinted on my little Sunny." He laughed wearily. I nodded and looked at my brother's truck. "I know that you'll be a good boy to her."

"That's not what your son thinks," I sighed and leaned back on the rocking chair. "I can't be around my imprint, Mr. Brooks. How am I supposed to survive? I don't want to end up like my brother."

"You won't." he said reassuringly. "You are stronger than Emerson. You also have to understand my son," he said knowingly. "He lost his brother and seeing your face reminds him of your brother. I don't condone what he's doing… it's not fair to judge you for the mistakes of your brother. I don't like his attitude, blaming my son's death on you; it's not what a man would do. But, I can't do anything regarding Sunshine. She's his daughter. I wish that he would let go of all that anger and hatred… but, he's a stubborn kid. I'm sorry that I can't help you on that matter."

"It's alright," I said, sighing. "It's nothing new for me. I'm use to being treated this way."

"You don't deserve to be treated that way either. You are a great young man, the opposite of Emerson," he said, shaking his head. "Your brother and my son were fools. There were different ways to solve their problems. It's not fair that you have to carry the burdens and sins of your brother's mistakes."

"It's alright. I won't complaint, though. I have a beautiful imprint. She makes everything worth it. I know that I won't get to see her grow… that's kinda painful, but, she'll be alright. She won't remember me in the future, so I know that she won't suffer. She's too good for me, anyway. I might've fucked up her future and caused her pain." I said, pressing my hands together and looking at the beautiful horizon ahead of me. I sat closer to the edge of my seat and thought of how much it was hurting me being away from my imprint. "I can take it. I have to try at least… I just have to get away from here… from La Push and all this shit that seems to tie me down." I got up and paced around the length of his porch. I noticed Mr. Brooks' eyes following me. There was a knowing smile on his lips. "Mr. Brooks, can I ask you a favor?"

"Of course," he said, nodding. "If I can help you in anything, let me know. It's the least that I can do,"

I smiled thankful and stopped pacing. "I have something for you. It's not much, but it is the most precious thing I possess,"

"For me?" He asked surprised.

"Yeah," I nodded, smiling forlornly, as I looked down at Brady Brooks. I reached for my wallet and pulled out a copy of the picture that Steve had taken the previous day. It was my only valuable object that I owned. I clutched it tightly and felt the tears sting the back of my eyes, but I wasn't going to cry. I gave the picture one last look and felt my heart shattering in all directions of the world. My imprint's innocent smile was engraved in my soul. I would never truly forget her. I had to move on and continue leaving the life that had been set for me. "This is for you. It's a picture of your son and your granddaughters. It was taken on the morning before, um, well, you know." I said, handing him the picture. He nodded and frowned sadly.

"You are a good boy, Caleb," he muttered sadly under his breath. "Don't let this be a dead-end in your life."

"Sir, I don't mean to be disrespectful," I paused. "I don't want to talk about it."

"Just know that if you want to talk about anything," he laughed, inspecting the picture. "You can count on me. Here," he said, standing up from his seat and reached for his wallet. He pulled out a business card and handed it to me. "I'll be available for you. If you need anything… let me know."

"Sir," I said confused.

"Don't worry about a thing," Brady said and sat back down. "So, you are also in the picture?"

"I'm also in it." I chuckled. "I hope that you don't get angry because of that."

"I won't get angry," he said, his eyes scrutinizing me. "I'm glad that you are in the picture. One day, I can show this picture to Sunny and she'll know that you were in her life."

"Please, don't," I said despondently.

"You don't need the picture?"

"No, old man, I don't need it."

"Why?" he asked, arching his brow. "You'll need the strength, this picture can provide it."

I shook my head and sat back down. "I've decided to move on without my imprint. She won't need me now. Maybe… who knows? In the future… perhaps, she'll know that I wanted to be there for her,"

"She'll know,"

"Don't interfere, Mr. Brooks,"

"I can't promise you anything," he said with a straight face. "By the way, have you eaten?"

"No," I said honestly, placing my hand on my stomach. "You heard it growl?" I asked, smiling at him. Brady nodded and stood up from his seat and walked towards the screen door.

"Are you staying out here?"

"Um,"

"Get your ass in here," he chuckled. I followed after him, inside the house that still held a bit of my imprint's scent. I smiled, when I saw the pictures posted on the wall. I saw Sunshine, looking as adorable as ever.

"She's a sweet child," Mrs. Brooks said proudly. "This one is when she was one year old. She has such a beautiful smile and is such a good girl." She said. "It's been long, Caleb." She said, linking her arm with mine and together we walked to the kitchen. I felt strange. I was expecting them to mistreat me and curse at me for what Emerson had done, but I got the opposite. Why couldn't I have been born to a kindhearted family like the Brooks?

"Mrs. Brooks," I said, stopping in front of the dining table.

"Hush, son, you are staying for dinner," she said, shaking her head and placing a gentle hand on my arm. "I can hear your stomach growling. When was the last time that you ate?"

"Um, I don't remember,"

"Sit," Brady said, pointing at the seat across from his. "What are we eating, Leslie?"

"We are eating Puerto Rican food."

"Puerto Rican food?" I asked curious.

"Yes," she nodded. "I'm Puerto Rican and Quileute. I thought my sons Spanish and Benedict is teaching his daughters."

"Oh, OK, no wonder. When I met Sunshine, she spoke Spanish. Caleigh interpreted." I said wryly.

"It's alright, son," Leslie said. "Right now, the sun seems to be hiding behind thick dark clouds… just have faith that the breeze will blow away the clouds and you'll see a clear day again."

"I wish," I muttered.

"Have faith," she grinned. "Yes, Sunshine is still a little girl. But you don't know how fast the Brooks' kids grow. She'll be a young lady pretty soon and her parents can't keep her away from you."

"I don't want to cause you any problem," I said, watching as Leslie walked to the kitchen to grab the food.

"Nonsense, Caleb," Brady said. "Just enjoy the dinner my wife made." He chortled and motioned me to sit.

I asked if she needed any help serving, but she shook her head and told me to get out of her kitchen. She served us white rice and black beans with grilled chicken and salad, with homemade orange juice. I'd never eaten such a delicious food. I was a wolf, so I ate a lot. We ate in a comfortable ambience, as we talked about trivial things. I was finally satiated after my third plate. It was Brady's turn to clean the table and put away the dishes. I helped him and the morning turned into afternoon. I don't know how long I stayed. I felt like I'd belonged in this home.

"Thanks for the help," Brady said, patting my shoulder kindly, when I put the last dish in the cupboard.

"It's the least I can do, old man." I said, patting his shoulder.

He nodded and turned to face the kitchen window and sighed. "Why don't you stay in our house?"

"I can't do that,"

"Yes, you can," he said annoyed. "You can stay and Leslie and I can care for you. Embry won't mind."

"If Benedict finds out," I paused and shook my head. "He'll have my head and yours."

"He's my son and he'll deal with it. This is my house, not his. I can invite anyone that I want." he said solemnly.

"Thanks, Mr. Brooks, but I have to get going," I said, extending my hand for him to shake. "Thank you for being so kind to me."

"It's nothing," he said, squeezing my hand. "You are always welcome in my home,"

"Thanks," I said, taking a step back. "I should get going. I promise to give you a call every now and then."

"You will?"

"Yeah, if you want me to, of course," I said nervously.

He looked pensive and leaned against the counter. "I would like that very much. I have a question for you,"

"Ask it, old man,"

"What are your plans?" he asked curiously.

"I'm going to go to my aunt's house for a while, until I can get a job.

"Which aunt?"

"Aunt Heather," I said, raking my fingers through my hair. "She lives in the Makah reservation."

"Are you planning on finishing high school?"

"I don't know,"

"Finish it," he said sternly. "Go to college and get an education. What grade are you in?"

"Junior year in high school, why?"

"Good, study hard and get good grades."

"I have good grades," I shrugged.

"Continue getting good grades. You can go to college, too."

"I don't have any money to pay for college. Tuitions are expensive and I can't stay at my aunt's house forever. I'll have to work and pay bills, Mr. Brooks."

"Don't worry about that for now,"

"I have to, Mr. Brooks. From now on, I have to look out for myself." I said confused. "I should get going now." I said, walking towards their living room. "Thanks again for the food."

"Wait," he said, halting me on my tracks. "I know that you are confused son, but, I can help you. It's the least I can do."

"Why would you want to help me? I'm the brother of the guy that killed your son,"

"You are Caleb Call," he paused and smiled. "Don't forget who you are. Your destiny is different. Take advantage of this old man's wisdom. Don't let this moment define you, got it."

"Thanks," I muttered and exited the house. I walked over to the front steps and halted. "Mr. Brooks, I wish you the best. I know that nothing I say can bring your son back, but I wish I had done something that night to prevent this tragedy."

"I know," he said, smiling dejected. "Where are you going now?" he asked, stepping out of the screen door.

"To my Aunt's house in the Makah Rez," I said, walking down the front porch steps. I spun around and found Mrs. Brooks staring out the screen door. I waved at her and she looked down at her joint hands and slowly waved back.

"To the Makah reservation you said, right?" he asked nonchalantly.

"Yes, sir,"

"Good luck, son. I wish you the best. Remember to study hard. And don't worry about college. I'll cover your expenses." He said casually.

"I can't let you do that, Mr. Brooks," I said alarmed.

"I told you not to worry about it. I'll go visit you at your Aunt's house. Don't forget to call me tomorrow to give me the address."

"Sir,"

"We'll go visit you this Friday." He chuckled. "I want to know that you are well taken care of, son. If your aunt isn't treating you kindly, I'll haul your ass back here. Got it?"

I nodded and smiled gratefully. "Thanks for caring," I mumbled, heading back to my truck. I opened the driver's side door and climbed in. This was it. My last day in La Push. I waved at them and drove away.

On my drive to the Makah Reservation, I promised to push Sunshine's memories to the deepest part of my heart. I wasn't going to suffer like my brother did for his imprint. I knew that she wasn't at fault. She was better off without me. I was sure of it. I had promised myself that I would forget her, no matter the consequences. I was going to become someone else. I wasn't going to be a weakling anymore. I was better than Emerson Call. I was going to prove to Benedict, my parents and everyone else, that I was going to triumph. I wasn't going to let a stupid thing like a bond between my imprint and I hold me back. I was going to live a better life. I don't know how I was going to do it, but I had to try it. I had to do this for myself… I had to live for me.

The following Friday, Brady and Leslie Brooks came to visit me at my aunt's house in the reservation. My aunt treated me kindly. She was like the mother I didn't have. I was thankful for her attention and hospitality. The Brooks continued to visit me every Friday, until I graduated high school. Brady Brooks kept his promise of paying for my college tuition. Even when I was away in college in Chicago, Leslie and Brady would take the time to call and visit me on campus. I was indebted to them. I became a stock analyst, making a small fortune of my own. I sighed sadly, because those three, my aunt Heather, Leslie and Brady, cared more for me than my own parents.

It had been exactly twelve years, since I left La Push and everything behind, when I got an invitation to join Leslie and Brady in their 36th anniversary celebration. I didn't want to go, but they had been so kind to me. How could I deny them that simple favor? I packed enough clothes for the long weekend and drove to O'Hare Airport. Eight hours later, I was in Washington, renting a car and driving to La Push. I inhaled deeply, when I reached the sign that said Welcome to La Push. This was it; there was no turning back for me.

Now I stood in front of her, questioning my moves and what I would do next.


	2. Chapter 2

**Tangled in This Love**

* * *

**In Front of You**

_Sunshine's POV_

"You," he whispered. His voice was like a lullaby to my heart. The face that haunted my dreams was finally cleared. I could see the details of his eyes, nose, smile and body. The corners of his eyes wrinkled when he saw me.

"Hi," I muttered, taking a step back. I was so nervous. This was the moment I had waited for so long. I couldn't believe it. He stood in front of me. I felt complete, sane and grounded to the floor. "I'm Sunshine Brooks." I whispered.

"Sunshine?" he asked, swallowing hard.

"Yes, and you are?" He opened his lips, but no sound came out of his mouths. I wanted to jump with excitement, he was finally here… with me. So this is what it felt to hold perfection in front of you? His eyes settled on me and I could tell what was happening to us. "I'm your imprint, right?" I smiled.

He shook his head and raised one hand in front of him. His smile faded and I felt like the sun was suddenly yanked away from my sky. "I can't - It's not possible. I'm sorry. I can't do this."

"Wait!" I shouted, running to him.

"I have to go," he said, his husky voice hiding millions of emotions.

"No, we haven't spoken to each other. We need to get to know each other!" I said, touching his arm. "I need to know you."

"We can't," he said dejectedly. "I'm sorry." he lamented and peeled out of the room.

I jogged after him, I don't know why, but I needed answers. I needed to know why he left me alone and never took the time to get to know me. Why wasn't he like Michael Uley? So attentive to my sister's needs. Why was I cast away from ever knowing that he was the best part of me?

I ran out of the house, storming after him. "Please, stop. You are walking too fast!" I cried, as I tried to discern the path that I was taking. The tears were falling copiously and I needed to know that I wasn't a mistake in his life. I pushed past the people that stood in my way. My Dad pulled me to him, but I managed to break free from his grasp and ran after my soul mate.

"Wait," He was tall and his strides required me to take four steps to just catch up with him. "Please, I beg you. Stop!" I pleaded, when we reached the clearing behind my grandparents' house. "Please, don't walk away from my life again. I need you."

"I didn't walk out. I was forced out of your life." he said, pacing angrily, and then turned to face me. "I didn't walk out on you. I was stripped out of your life. Why don't you ask your parents? They should be able to tell you. I needed you too, Sunshine. I swear that not a day goes by that I don't think of you." He said, his voice faltering. "I was forced out of your life." He said, slamming his fist against a tree. The tree trunk shattered under his fist. "I didn't have a damn choice. To your father... we aren't meant to be together."

"Don't say that," I said, walking closer to where he stood. "I'm your soul mate. I'm the only one that can say that... and I don't believe that you and I aren't meant to be together. You-" I said, walking closer to him. He flinched under my touch, but slowly relaxed. I clutched his large hand in mine and gently kissed the back of it and brought it over my chest. "Do you feel my heart? It beats just for you. Even when your face haunted my dreams... my heart would beat for you... like this." I said softly.

"In your dreams?"

"Yes," I nodded. "You are all I think about. I don't know you or your name... but my soul longs for you."

"You've thought of me?"

"All the time," I said, smiling shyly at him.

"Sunshine," he said, placing his free hand on my cheek. I leaned against it, memorizing the touch of his hand on my skin, his scent and the way his forehead would crease with pain. "I'm sorry. I neve-"

"Get away from her," Dad said, pulling him away from me. "You have no right over her! Your brother killed Byron. You are the brother of a killer!"

"Dad," I said, trying to make my father let go of my soul mate. "Let him be."

"No," Dad growled. "He's not welcome in my family. Get away from us. Never contact my daughter."

"You are making the biggest mistake," Mom said, as she intervened. "Caleb Call, don't pay attention to him." Mom said, turning to him. To my Caleb.

"He's right." Caleb said sadly. "She was a mistake that I wished I've never made." he growled, glaring at me and ran into the woods, leaving me broken and empty inside.

"Did you hear him?" Dad sneered. "What a condescending douche. Let's go, Sunshine. You don't need him." Dad said, grabbing my arm. I yanked it away and shook my head. I didn't feel like speaking to him. He knew that I had a soul mate? How could he deny me the only thing that I ever wanted? How could he lie to me so easily? "Sunshine," Dad said sternly, as I took a couple of steps back. I shook my head and ran away from him. "Sunshine!" Dad shouted. I could hear Mom stopping him. I was glad that at least Mom was on my side. Did she know about Caleb too?

I ran the same direction he did. I needed to speak to him. Was I really such a huge mistake? Did I ruin his life? Was I condemned to live a life like my uncle Byron's? I wasn't going to let my love life become like his.

"Caleb," I cried, when I reached a dead-end to the dirt path I was walking on. I yelled his name many times. I called him, until the taste of blood stung the back of my throat. "Caleb, please. Please, come back. I need you. God, I need you." I sobbed, as I knelt on the floor and dug my hands on the sand. "Please," I whispered miserably.

I don't know how long I remained crying. I didn't know how much tears I held inside of me, but I knew that I would cry plenty for this man. They were plenty of tears and I had a feeling that they would not stop. I stood up from the ground and looked down at my dirty pink dress. I looked disorganized and messy. I tried to tie my hair in to a ponytail and walked aimlessly. I didn't care where my feet took me. I was lost inside and out. I thought that when I saw my imprinter, it would really be like love at first sight. I mean, I wasn't a baby anymore. I was a teenager. I sighed sadly and walked over to the beach. It was the only place where I could go. There wouldn't be anyone to try to console me. I didn't want anyone's comfort… I wanted him to console me. I wanted to be held by his strong arms. I didn't ask much. I only wanted to be loved. I wanted to be desired by someone.

I continued walking down the shore, until I felt that strange pull deep inside my soul. It was indicating me where to go. I inhaled deeply and armed myself with strength and continued on the opposite direction that I was going. I looked around, hoping to see him. The intensity of the invisible pull increased. I knew that I was on the right track. It was destiny guiding me to him. I could hear my heart racing with ever step that I took. The warm breeze suddenly shifted direction and turned cold. I don't know how far I walked. I hugged myself, trying to keep warm.

"You didn't have to follow me," A deep masculine voice spoke from behind the trees. I stopped trudging and scanned the area, following the voice. "You should go back," he said indifferently. "You don't want your father to blame me because you chose to follow me." He said bitterly.

"I would follow you," I paused and walked between the trees. The pull felt stronger. My breath hitched in my throat and I couldn't breathe, when I found him leaning against the large tree trunk of an evergreen. "I would follow you forever, anywhere you go, I'll go. I would follow you until I take my last breath."

"Yeah, sure," he scoffed, laughing sarcastically. "Would you follow me to hell too?"

"I would, Caleb. I would follow you to the deepest confinements of hell if I had to," I said honestly, as my eyes soaked up his perfection. "If it means being beside you, I'll walk any road."

"You would," he said intrigued, arching an eyebrow. His eyes fell on me and I felt exposed. I blinked hard, because I didn't know what was happening inside of me. I was joyous to finally find my imprint, but scared to hear his reasons of why I was a mistake to him.

"I swear that I would," I said, walking closer to where he was. I took a deep breath and nervously folded my arms behind my back and sighed. "I know that you wouldn't follow me… anywhere. I wanted… I guess, what I'm trying to say is that… um, well, jeeze, I-"

"What are you trying to say?" he asked, lifting his head. I held my breath, when I had a clear view of his face. He was handsome, too perfect to be real. His eyes were a soft shade of gray that contrasted against his copper skin. His hair was darker than the midnight sky and wavy. He wore a white polo with perfectly ironed khakis. His arms were muscular and flexed gracefully with each moment he made.

"I, um, I," I paused, as I suddenly began to feel nervous. I couldn't let my timid self take possession of me. I needed to convey to him how I felt. Yes, I had to be strong. I had to win my inner struggle and this one too. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I don't know how to start a conversation with you." I said honestly, twisting my hands behind my back. "With you, I feel like I can say anything and at the same time, I don't want to hurt your feelings or disappoint you." I said frustrated.

"You don't want to start a conversation with me," he said haughtily. "There's nothing to talk about."

"There is plenty to say. There is so much that we have to talk about," I said, taking a step and clutching at his arm. He shifted uncomfortably and then adverted his eyes to where my hands laid. "Don't leave… don't leave me again. You can't come into my life and expect me to do nothing. You can't leave me. Please," I begged and looked at the floor.

"I'll eventually have to leave," he said, turning to face the other direction. "I live in Chicago."

"I've been there," I smiled. "I went to the Sears towers with my Uncle Seth and Aunt Haliee."

"That's nice," he said, pausing briefly. "You should let go of me." He said, as he cleared his throat. "It's uncomfortable."

"It's not to me," I giggled, letting my hands run down to clasp his hand. "This is how it was supposed to be."

"You said it, 'supposed to be'." He said cynically.

"Come," I said, gnawing at my bottom lip. I walked in front of him, trying to haul his seven feet frame, but he wouldn't budge. "I know of a nice place where we can talk. You'll love it."

"There's nothing to talk about," he said, narrowing his eyes. "You should go back to your family. I don't want any more problems with them."

"My family can wait. You are more important," I said nonchalantly, as I uselessly pulled at his arm. "Hurry up," I said irritated. He took a few steps, but stopped. "Try walking faster."

"I think that this is far enough, Sunshine," he said, snatching his hand away from my hold. "There's nothing that we can talk about. Didn't you hear me back there? You and I… we aren't meant to be together. You were a mistake. What can you and I have in common?" he asked rudely.

I was baffled. I wasn't a mistake, was I? He spun around and started walking away.

"Wait!" I said, my voice trembling, when I ambled to where he was. He avoided eye contact and remained stoically. I walked in front of him and jabbed him on the chest. "You are being an ass, Caleb! You need to help me out here. I can't do this all on my own. I don't know what else to do for you to open up to me. What can I do? Tell me, please," I pleaded, but he remained stoic.

"I already tol-"

"No! You can't just tell me that I'm a mistake, Caleb. I'm freaking trying hard to get to know you! I want to prove to you that I am not a mistake. Yes, I might not be as beautiful as my sister, Caleigh, or my cousins or those girls that you find at the mall, flirting around with boys. I'm not physically the most appealing person in the world… but… but… damn it! I'm kind. I'm sweet, smart, respectful, and friendly, and curious and adventurous. I play a killer violin… almost like a professional. I write my own music! I want to travel the world and help children that are sick and homeless. I can cook and make a killer black bean stew. I know how to love, because I've loved you in my dreams. I can love and when I love, I do it without measurement and I give my heart and soul to everything that matters and you are very important to me. I would never hurt you. I can tell that you've suffered and I can be that person that helps you heal your wounds. I would love you endlessly… I would give you my heart and you wouldn't need to question my love for you, because you would know from my actions and devotion that I truly care for you." I shouted, as I clutched at the skirt of my dress, hoping that it would give me the strength. "I can be better if you are beside me. Because… I've always known that you existed." I said exasperated, as tears of despair fell down my face. "I've waited anxiously for you to cross my path… now - well, now that you are here. You tell me that I'm a huge mistake. But after speaking about myself… I know that I am not a mistake."

He pinched the bridge of his nose and grunt. "Damn it! You make it all so confusing." He said, folding his arms over his chest and looked down at me. "I'm sorry, princess." He muttered, tilting his head back. "You've never been a mistake." He said, his voice faltering. "The mistake is me… how could destiny have chosen you for me? You are perfect. Absolutely perfect. You are lovely and kind and so beautiful. You don't deserve someone like me. I'm the brother of the man that killed your uncle."

"You can't let that define you,"

"What did you say?" he asked curiously, bending down, so I could see his gray eyes. "Can you repeat what you just said?"

"I said that you can't let that define you," I smiled wretchedly at him. "You are Caleb Call. You are not defined by what your brother did. You are a good man. You can't let what happened in the past dictate your future." I said, clasping his face in my hands. I got on my tiptoes and kissed his chin. "You are better than that." He leaned his head closer to mine, our lips were inches away. I licked my lips and hoped that he would kiss me, but he quickly stepped back. "Did I say or do something wrong?"

He placed his hand over his mouth and glared at me. "You were about… you were going to kiss me," he laughed nervously. "That's not possible. You can't kiss me." He said, shaking his head vigorously.

"Why not?" I whined annoyed. "I'm fifteen years old. Sixteen if you rounded it up, because I'll be sixteen years old in three months… I'm your imprint, Caleb. It's perfectly normal if I kiss you."

"Not from where I am," he said, shaking his head. He walked around me, his hands in his pockets as he glanced at me with frustration. "I'm fourteen years older than you, sweetie. I can't allow you to kiss me."

"And why not?" I asked, narrowing my eyes. "We are soul mates. I've dreamed about kissing you and being with you. Aren't you supposed to do what I want you to?" I asked, mockingly.

"Funny girl. It's not that easy. I can't do that, sorry. I'm not in love with you. I care for you. You are important to me, but I don't see you like that, princess. I've always cared for you, Sunshine. It's just that… I see you as my little sister. I can't be with you romantically. For the last ten years, I've thought of you as a baby. I didn't picture you growing up… I didn't think that I would see you at all, so I only thought of you as a baby. You… I just can't."

"Why not?" I asked, my heart was racing at his words. "Why? Is it because I'm not tall enough? My nose? Are my lips too big?" I asked desperately. "Why not? Why can't you kiss me?"

"That's not how…" he trailed of and started pacing."I don't know how to explain it to you without hurting you…"

"Just say it," I snapped. "Just be man enough and spit it out."

"I'm man enough," he retorted. "I just don't want to hurt you. I don't want you crying and whining to your parents that I hurt you."

"I'm not a cry baby, idiot," I shouted. "I can take anything that you say."

"Can you?" he laughed sarcastically. "Can you really?" I nodded, huffed and rolled my eyes. "Okay, then," he chuckled. His laughter was deep, guttural and throaty. I found myself enjoying the sound of his laughter. It was revitalizing and so different.

"I like your laughter," I muttered. He stopped chuckling and turned serious. "I don't really want to know the reasons why you and I can't be together." I paused and tugged harder at the waist of my skirt. "I'll be honest with you… I know that your words are going to hurt me. I don't want to hear you say that we can't be together, because you already have a wife and kids. I know that I was-"

"I'm not married, and," he added quickly. "I don't have any kids."

"You don't… you aren't lying, right?" I asked hopeful. "You really don't have a wife or kids?"

"No," he said exasperated. "I don't have a wife or kids."

His eyes hid something and I instantly knew. "But," I paused and scratched the back of my neck nervously. "You do have a girlfriend, right?"

"I do," he said honestly, shifting on the heels of his shoes.

"Do you love her?" I muttered depressed. "Is she prettier than me?"

"I can't answer that," he sighed and started pacing again. "And no, you are much prettier than her and any girl in the world."

My head rose up at his answer. I glanced at him and then at the floor. "For real?" I asked intrigued. "Did you fall in love with me?" I laughed nervously. "If you didn't - you have to admit that you are confused. I confuse you, right?"

"I am," he said and stopped pacing. "You've changed everything in my life. I didn't anticipate running in to you. I thought that your parents' knew that I was coming. So, I thought that you were going to stay in that wraparound house that your father made your mother. I imagined that they wouldn't come to your grandparents' party. I didn't think that I would see you again. That's why I came. I was confident that I wasn't going to see you."

"But, um, do you love me? I mean... now that you've seen me and said that I'm the cutest and prettiest girl in the world,"

"I said prettiest girl in the world," he chuckled.

"Yeah, thanks. I appreciate it." I chortled abashed. "Now that you've seen me and I'm older – not a baby- do you - Can you see me as something more than just a friend? Can you love me the way you are supposed to love me?"

"I don't know," he confessed, as he ran his hand over his face and stared at me. "I am confused. I don't want to hurt Marissa." He said pained. "She's been with me for almost five years. I don't want to hurt you either. You don't deserve me or the pain that I might cause you. I don't want to be confused either. I can't have a leveled head, because you throw all my inhibitions out the window. It's a difficult situation. I'm in a difficult position."

"Five years?" I said sadly, walking away from him. I don't know why I left. I needed to clear my head and think about what this meant. "Five years," I repeated and continued trudging away from the woods and into the sandy path that led to the beach.

"Where are you going?" he asked, as he trailed behind me.

"Five years,"

"Sunshine, hold on," he said irritated.

I walked to where the driftwoods were and sat down, facing the horizon. There was still daylight and I could see the sun slowly dipping on the horizon. I inhaled deeply and curled my legs against my chest and rested my head on my knees.

"Sunshine," he whispered and sat at my feet, also facing the horizon.

"Five years, ha?" I asked, looking down at him. He nodded and gazed ahead. "That's a long time." I smiled dejectedly. "I don't want you to hurt her. I bet that she's an amazing person." I said confused. "Does she make you happy?"

"Why do you ask?" he said, reaching for a seashell and flung it at the water. "It's not important."

"It is to me. I want to know," I shrugged. "I want to know that she makes you happy. Because, you are my happiness." I trailed off and bent down to pick a wild flower. "Does she make you happy? Does she make your heart skip fast when you see her?"

"No," he confessed. "I can't lie to you. She doesn't make my heart skip so fast that it feels like its escaping my heart… the way-"

"So, she doesn't make you happy. What a bitch and she has your heart? How-" I interjected.

"Yes," he nodded sadly.

"She has your heart?"

"No, let me finish… She's makes me happy… but, you've really changed my perspective on my relationship with her. I- I feel drawn to you… but it's not enough to, ugh! I don't know how I feel. I can based my decisions on you. I barely know you. You don't know me and what if you choose to become my friend. I,"

I looked away from his gorgeous face and twirled the flower between my thumb and index finger. "If she makes you happy… I won't fight for you."

"Are you giving up on me so suddenly?" he asked, looking up at me. I shook my head and slowly lowered my legs. I took off my ballerina flats and dug my feet in the cool sand. "So, you aren't giving up on me?"

"No, never. But, I'll let you go if she truly makes you happy, because you deserve only happiness. With her, you can have a chance to forget about me and you two can get married and have a happy life together, right?" I said, unable to hold back my tears.

"Why do you cry when you say that? It really doesn't sound convincing." he asked, scooting closer to where I was. "You don't need to cry for me. After I left La Push, I made a life that didn't have you. I went to high school, graduated college, got a degree, went to work and left everything that tied me down behind."

"You left me behind, Caleb," I sobbed. "You didn't fight for me. You weren't there for me."

"You can't reproach me for that. Thank your father for pushing me away from you. He yanked you away from me and I never heard from you again." He said angrily. I covered my face fearfully and wept. "I was sixteen years old and you were two or three. What was I supposed to do? Run away with you? What could I've offered you? Nothing! I didn't have anything to fall back on." He said between clenched teeth. "I had nothing to offer you. In fact, I had told myself that I would never see you again. I lived my life like you weren't there… like I never met you. I went to college, got a job and met my girlfriend Marissa. In all my plans, you weren't there." He said, placing his hands on my shoulder and gently shook me. I looked into his gray eyes and saw the same pain that I was feeling. I wanted to hug him and console him. "It was for the best. You wouldn't be happy with me. I can't even make Marissa happy, because there was the fear that this might happen and it did."

"I can make you happy," I whispered, as I looked at the hand that rested on my right shoulder.

"It's… If I come back to La Push, the only thing that people will remember me by is for being the brother of the individual that killed your uncle. I don't want that for me. I don't want to be close to my parents either. I resent them and I have so much hatred inside me… I - I don't want them to associate you with me, either. There's no need to recall the past. I want to keep my wounds closed. If I come back everyone would point at me. I want to move on with my life and-"

"And it doesn't include me in it, right?" I said, wiping my tears with the heel of my hand. "I was so stupid, Caleb,"

"You are not stupid," he said, lazily wiping my tears with his thumb. "It's just life. Life is cruel,"

"No! Life is unfair. I thought that when you finally saw me… you would fall in love with me. I thought that I could make you stay beside me… just like in my dreams. You weren't supposed to hurt me, Caleb. You weren't supposed to make me cry."

"I wasn't supposed to be here,"

"But you are here," I said, pushing him away from me.

"You are too good for me," he whispered depressed.

"Caleb, my Caleb," I cried and hid my face behind my hands. "You are here and you choose to let something that happened in the past dictate who you are. You didn't kill my uncle. You aren't supposed to carry the burdens of your brother. Emerson probably hurt you growing up… I can feel your pain and I want to help you cope with it. But, you are shutting me out. I didn't know him, but I can say with certainty that you aren't him. You are you… my Caleb. My imprinter and soul mate." I said angrily. "You are putting so much space and distance between us. You are tossing me aside. You are hurting me so much."

"Sunshine," he mumbled and moved away from me. "You don't know half of the story…"

He looked at the horizon and then around the beach. There were a few people walking around the deserted beach. I stood up and looked down at him. I hated when he avoided eye contact with me. It was so frustrating, because I didn't know what he was thinking.

"I can deduct from what I've heard from you that my parents hid me from you and we spent so much time separated. I understand that… but, I'm here now. You are here with me." I said, tilting my head back in frustration. "I, ugh! I don't want to lose you again. I found you and I am selfish to say this, I don't want to lose you again and I don't want you with that Maria,"

"It's Marissa," he chuckled, whipping his head to face me.

"Maria- Marissa, I really don't care what her name is. She's not your soul mate. I am!" I screamed and stomped. "She isn't fit to be with you. Like you said, when you started dating her… you didn't imagine meeting me again. But, I'm here. I'm flesh and bone, standing in front of you. I'm not a kid anymore. I've grown… I'm a girl and she needs you. You can be with me… she doesn't need you like I need you, Caleb. Please, give me a chance. I know that I'm young! But I'll grow and you'll see that destiny wasn't wrong when it chose me for you." I begged and wailed like the fifteen years old that I was. "Give me a chance, Caleb." I whispered. "Give me a chance, please."

* * *

AN: Here is the second chapter to my newest story. I'm excited because this story is different from my previous ones. It's not going to have Sunshine and Caleb suffering. I'm going to develop their love in the most innocent and fluffiest way. I hope that you enjoy it. I'm working on my other story about Harrison and Gianna. I still have to put the finishing touches and I'll post it as soon as I can. Please, bear with me, since I have summer school and every Tuesday and Wednesday I have exams. Thanks.

-Serenity


	3. Chapter 3

**Tangled In This Love**

AN: Here, is chapter 3 of my story. I apologize for the lateness. My internet connection has been severed and I don't know how often I'll be updating. OK, before people start criticizing me, I needed to move past their first encounter. So, after writing and erasing and rewriting again, this is what was acceptable to me. I promise that from here on, it'll move faster.

* * *

**You Are the Best**

_Caleb's POV_

My head was pounding like crazy. Destiny was seriously screwing up with me. I don't think that this could happen to me anyone, but me. I wasn't complaining. I've always felt lost without her and to be honest, I was very grateful to have found my way back home. But at the same time, it was too much to take in… I've always thought that I was never going to see her. But here she was, standing in front of me, and crying. I'd done things in my life that I felt sorry for doing, but the hardest thing I've done was leave her. I tried to forget her and tried… I say try, because it was horribly difficult. I didn't accomplish my goal to forget her.

But like I said before, here she was, ten feet in front of me to be precise and I couldn't pull myself away from her. I wanted to console her, but I wasn't good at this things. I was horrible at trying to console a female. What was I supposed to do? I barely knew her. Should I wrap her in my arms and gently stroke her hair until she stopped crying? No! I didn't know what I was doing. I was used to caressing Marissa. That's all I knew, but seeing her hide her face behind her hands as she sobbed and begged me not to leave her, it made it real difficult for me to keep my composure.

"Can you hold me?" she asked me sadly, as she dropped to the sand on her knees. "I'm sorry. I can't help it. I'm crying for all the years that we've missed and for the years that we will continue to lose." She said bitterly and inhaled deeply and wiped her tears with the collar of her dress. I strode over to her and sat down in front of her.

The more I looked in to her eyes, the difficult it was becoming to step away from her. I seriously had to prioritize my life. I reluctantly reached my hand over to touch her, but stopped. I truly wanted to console her. She would be safe in my arms and no harm would ever come to her. I stared into her light brown eyes and found the answer too many of my questions. I wanted to know her and I knew that if I gave in and accepted my faith I would be able to know her. But I couldn't. It wasn't the best thing to do. I couldn't hurt her. She's known me for an hour now and I was already making her crying.

"I can't hold you," I muttered, looking down at my lap.

"I understand," she said, followed by a sniffle. "You don't want to cheat on Maria with me, right?"

"Her name is Marissa," I sighed. "And no, it's not that, but, that's also part of the reason."

"Then?" she asked, scooting closer to me. She gently placed her index finger under my chin and forced me to look into her eyes. "What's wrong, Cay," she trailed off and cleared her throat. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to call you that… it just felt right." She said nervously. "What's wrong, Caleb?" she quickly added and cupped my chin in her soft hands.

I closed my eyes and smiled inwardly. How innocent her touch was. It made my heart flutter with a sense of peace. Her voice had the power to calm me. I wasn't in love with her. I was sure of that. I was aware of everything that happened around her. She made my heart beat faster than ever. Her touch had the power to melt me, but that wasn't enough. There were so many things that impeded me to give in completely. She was only fifteen years old. I was almost twice her age. Her father hated me for what my brother Emerson did to Byron. Her family would never accept me in her life. Benedict Brooks made it clear that he rather see me dead than with his daughter.

"Nothing is wrong, Sunshine," I said curtly, pulling away from her touch. "You should go back,"

"Why?" she said hurt. "If I go back… you'll leave and I'll never get to see you again. I can't have that." She said desperately. I sighed and clasped her face in my hands. "Don't look at me like that, please." She whispered, casting her eyes downward to avoid my gaze. "It feels like I'm hurting you and I can't-" she said, as lonely tear rolled down her left side of the face. "I did something wrong, didn't I? I hurt you and you are angry at me."

"I'm not angry at you," I sighed and scooted closer to her.

"Then, what's wrong?" she asked worriedly. Her soft eyes scanned my face. I wish she was older to understand the severity of our relationship. There was so much hate between our families. Maybe someday, it would be alright to give in to the temptation of being the person that she deserved. But not now. I wasn't willing to give up on my hatred towards the world and her father.

"Nothing," I muttered, slowly letting go of her face.

"Caleb," she whispered and touched my arm. I looked down at her hand and felt the heat of her touch run down my body. I sighed inwardly and cursed my body for reacting to the minuscule touches she bestowed upon me.

"Yes," I mumbled.

"I know that you and I can't be together yet," she paused and started tracing her name in cursive on the sand. When she finished, she drew a happy sun and giggled softly. "I know that we can't be together, due to our age difference and the fact that you still have Maria as your girlfriend."

"Maria? I told you that it's Marissa," I chuckled, shaking my head, as I watched her scribble my name on the sand. "So, you understand how difficult it is for us to be together."

"I don't think that it's difficult," she shrugged and lifted her head to face me. "I think that it's a matter of time. I'm still young and you have a girlfriend. We still don't know each other properly. My father doesn't approve of you… but he will, because he'll know that I can't be without you. It's all about letting time take its course." She said and continued looking down at our names written on the sand. "Only time will remind you that you aren't supposed to be with Marissa," she said, rolling her eyes. "Time is our friend. I only have to be patience and wait for the day that I can be with you."

"OK," I said, blinking hard at the sudden calmness that her face displayed. "What just happened?" I asked confused. Sunshine smiled and took my hand in hers and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"I'm still sad," she said, smiling faintly. "It's just that there is so much I can cry about. I just know that I don't want you to disappear from my life. I'm aware that you are going back to Chicago, but," she paused and placed our joint hands closed to her heart. "Is there a way that we can stay in touch? You can write to me, right?"

I nodded and smiled. "I can."

"Good," she giggled. "Emails? Can you send me photos of you?"

"If you want me to," I sighed and slowly let go of her hand.

"Don't tell Marissa about me," she said, pouting. "I don't want you to talk to her about me."

"Why not?"

"I just don't," she sulked. "I know that she's not at fault. I just don't want her to know the name of the girl that's going to take her boyfriend away from her." She smiled impishly and quickly got to her feet.

"Ok, that was funny," I chuckled and stood up.

"Well, I can't dwell on the past," she shrugged. "I need to move forward."

"I guess you are right," I smiled. "Do you want to go for a walk down the beach?"

"Do you want to?" she asked me worriedly.

"I don't mind," I said, looking around the deserted beach. "I haven't been at a beach for twelve years. I missed the salty breeze and the sand. The lakes are nothing compared to the Pacific coast beaches." I said, looking down at her. She nodded and rested her eyes on the horizon.

"Caleb," she sighed my name. I felt goose bumps forming on my skin. It was strange how my body reacted to the simplest things she did. I took a step away from her and folded my arms over my chest.

"Yes, Sunshine,"

"Do you still speak to your parents?" she asked cautiously.

"No," I said and started walking down the beach. I undid the first three buttons of my shirt and shoved my hands in my pockets. Sunshine walked silently beside me and would only stop to pick up seashells.

"What's your favorite color?" she asked, as she skipped down the sand.

"Blue,"

"I have two favorite colors," she said contently, as she stopped a few yards away from me and knelt on the sand and started poking at something.

"Pink and blue?" I laughed.

"How do you know?" she asked, raising her head to look at me.

"I just had a feeling," I said smugly.

She giggled contently and nodded. "You are right,"

"Sunshine," I paused and walked over to her. She looked up at me from where she was and smiled so widely, that I couldn't help smiling too.

"Yes, Caleb," she said, patting the sand for me to sit. I obliged and sat a foot away from her. She continued playing with the sand, avoiding eye contact.

"I want you to know something," I said digging my fingers in the sand.

"Yes, what is it?" she gulped.

"I," I stopped and grabbed a pale blue pebble that was beside her foot and launched it across the water. "I'll write to you and I'll send you pictures. But there is something that I want from you."

"Yes?"

"We can be friends," I sighed, unable to look her in the eyes. "I don't know the schematics of imprinting. I do know that our souls are bound to be together. We can feel the attraction pulling us towards each other, right?" I asked, scratching my chin nervously.

"Yes, I understand," she said, looking at me from under her eyelashes.

"Well, so, um, we need to go through different stages until we can become more than friends… But for now, friendship is the only thing that I can give you."

"That'll be fine," she said, feigning a smile. "I would rather be your friend than not have you at all in my life. You've given me hope, Caleb. I used to be envious of my parents for having each other. I was also envious of my sister Caleigh and her imprinter Michael. I wanted a soul mate so bad. Growing up, the only thing that I longed the most was having you, Caleb."

"I'm sorry that I wasn't present in your life before," I said, grabbing a handful of sand and slowly letting it fall. "I wish that it hadn't been that way, but there are certain things that we can't control." I said and gave her a sideway glanced. I saw her quickly wipe a tear off her face and rapidly turned away from me. She nodded and pretended to be making a sand castle.

"It's fine," she chuckled miserably. "It's the story of my life. You don't have to worry anymore. I don't need your pity," she chuckled miserably.

"I don't pity you,"

"If you are worried, then don't. I'm going to be fine. I still get to have you in my life. One thing that my parents taught me is to be grateful for the things that I have. And, Caleb, I'm glad that you are in my life. I'm glad that you weren't alone during those years that you were away from me. Even though I don't want to say it out loud, I'm glad that Marissa was in your life. She kept you company and I know that you were happy with her."

"Sunshine," I whispered, but she raised a hand and continued speaking.

"Answer me one thing," she paused and scratched the back of her head nervously.

"And what is that?"

"Do you think," she stopped and dusted her hands off. "Do you see yourself with me?" she asked hopeful.

"Excuse me?"

"Caleb, you aren't dumb, you understand my question perfectly. Do you see your future self with me? Do you see me as more than a friend? It doesn't have to be now. It can be in three or ten years from now,"

"I don't know," I paused. "Do you want to see yourself with me? Does your future self wants to be with me?"

"Yes, I would like that very much," she smiled widely. Her eyes lit up with happiness and her entire aura changed. She didn't look dim and sad. Could being with me really make her so happy? "I would like to be with you."

"Why? I just don't seem to understand, Sunshine," I chuckled.

"You really can't see how amazing you are, Caleb?" she asked, arching an eyebrow. "You are so amazing and elegant. I would give my life just to be in Marissa's position for one day. Just to be with you and know that you are mine." She whispered the last word and then looked down at her hands.

"I just – wow-," I sighed confused. "Sunshine," I said, raking my brains for the right words to say. I couldn't make her sad again. I needed her smile and resonating laughter. "I'm not promising anything… I just… let's be friends for now. I think that we should get to know each other first and like you said before, let time decide. We don't want to rush into anything."

"I understand," she said groaned looking up at the sky. "I won't rush into anything. Why are you so worried about that?"

"Because," I paused. "What if you don't like who I am? What if you never feel anything for me and I fall head-over-heels in love with you?"

"I doubt it," she said nonchalantly. "I really doubt it. I'm already in love with you and I doubt that it will ever change."

"Let's just pretend that you don't feel anything for me in the future," I said aggravated, as memories of my brother's relationship with Marie Black floated inside my head. "Let's just say that you just want to be my friend… I don't want you to ever feel obligated to be with me, just because I imprinted on you." I said, reaching my hand to caress her face. "Please, don't pity me and be with me, because you feel obligated, ok?"

"You are so silly," she laughed, reaching to cup my face in her hands. "It'll never happen. I want to be with you forever, until I take my last breath. But for now, I'll gladly take the role of being your friend." She beamed. "Only until you get it through your thick skull that Caleb and Sunshine are meant to be together."

"Just be my friend, Sunshine, please?" I asked, scanning her face. She nodded and wound her arms around my neck and hugged me tightly.

"For now, Caleb, just for now. Don't ask anything so difficult from me again, please. I'll be your friend for now. But," she paused and pulled away from the embrace. "In the future, don't push me away again, please." She said, our eyes meeting. I nodded, not understanding the promise that I was making. She smiled again, kissing my cheek and gently pulling away from me. "OK, then, we should head back. I don't want my mom to get worried."

"OK," I nodded, standing up and helping her get on her feet. "Sunny," I said, looking down at her.

"Yes," she said, lifting her face to me. "Is something wrong?"

"Um, no, I just wanted to say… you were never a mistake. You are the best thing in my life. Marissa is a special person in my life, but you outshine her. I never stopped thinking of you. I always prayed that God- and I'm not Christian- would take care of you and keep you safe. I just thought that you should know." I smiled. She beamed and snaked her arms around my waist and hugged me tightly.

"I know, Caleb," she giggled. "I can't be a mistake, because I'm your imprint. You are the best person for me in the world." She smiled and slowly let go of me.

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AN2: I hope that you like it! I did and I'm so happy that I got out of my writer's block, because it was insane. Also, I've finished my Gigi and Harrison fic. I am going to post it soon, probably on Wednesday evening. I apologize, but I don't have internet at home. It's a drag to go to the library and wait for my turn to use the computer, but, beggars can't be choosers, right? Take care and let me know what I can do to make the story more pleasing.

:O Serenity ;)


	4. Chapter 4

**Tangled In This Love**

AN: I am using my neighbor's internet and hopefully, it will be available for me to keep updating my stories. Thank you for reviewing. I would like more, because they make me happy.

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**The Past Returns**

_Sunshine's POV_

I ate my food in silence and I occasionally looked across the table to take a glimpse at Caleb's quiet form. He ate his food and seldom spoke; I could tell that he wasn't comfortable around my family's friends. He barely answered any questions that they asked him, but kept to himself. He sat between my grandmother and grandfather and would smile kindly at them. I could sense that he felt comfortable around them. I was glad that there were people in my family that actually appreciated him, because to me, he was an amazing person. I was so excited that my heart was beating hectically. Mom would look at me and chuckled softly as she patted my shoulder with her hand.

"Tell your heart to hold on," she teased. "It's going to leap out of your chest and run to Caleb."

When she said things like that, I knew that she was willing to accept him. I was still disappointed in her, but I could never hate my parents. I loved them dearly and I just wanted them to understand how difficult my life was going to become if I didn't have Caleb.

"Mom," I said mortified. "He can hear you." I whispered.

"I know," she winked at me and smiled. "Look at him blushing, too."

I grinned at her and continued observing my Caleb. I knew that he was aware of how fast my heart was beating for him. Dad on the other hand, was being an ass. He would groan annoyed at my mother's comment and whenever he noticed that Grams and Gramps were speaking politely.

"Caleb," I said, my hands trembling as I held on tightly to fork.

"Yes, Sunny," he said, his voice was throaty and so deep.

"Would you like more mashed potatoes?" I asked, gnawing my bottom lip.

"No, thank you," he paused and gave me the most radiant smile that I've seen in a while. I wanted to jump off my chair and run to him and just kiss him on the lips. I counted to ten and tried to calm my heart, but it was useless. My heart was beating faster than a drum. "I'm fine. Do you need anything from here?"

"Oh, no, thank you. I'm OK," I said, looking down at my plate, trying to hide my blush.

"So," Nessie said, clearing her throat. "How long has it been since you left La Push?" she asked, rolling her eyes as she stared at her husband.

"Twelve years," Caleb muttered and drank some of his orange juice.

"Twelve years, you say," she said.

"Yes," he nodded and ran his finger over the brim of the glass. "I thought Halflings had excellent hearing." He said irritated.

"I do," she said haughtily and placed her fork on her plate.

"Ness," Jake whispered. "Be nice, please."

"You know Caleb, you could've called your mother," she said in a deprecating tone. "You could've also called Marie! She's worried about you. You left so suddenly."

"I don't think that my life is any of your business, Nessie." he sighed and sat back on his chair. "You live your life and I live mine. Your daughter was never my friend. So, don't start bringing forth shit that happened in the past. Also, if my mother has anything to say to me, she knew where to find me. But, since she didn't search for me or even called in the last twelve years, then, it means that she isn't interested."

"Guys," Mom said, calmly.

"What about your father? You really hurt him, Caleb," Jake said calmly. "He's like a brother to me and when he lost Emerson-"

"It's true that he left La Push. It's also true that Embry suffered," Grandfather said and nodded. "But Caleb went through hell. He went through a lot and many people turned their backs on him,"

"How can you side with him, Dad?" Dad snapped annoyed. "He's family to the guy that killed your oldest son."

"And?" Grandma retorted. "Jake, Ness, Ben, everyone, it was Caleb's decision to leave La Push. He thought of himself and to be honest, it was the right thing to do. His reasons should be respected. Nessie, you know the hell that kid went through. Don't you dare sound condescending towards him? Your daughter wasn't an angel. She knew what she was doing."

"My daughter-" Nessie began, but grandma interjected.

"Your daughter isn't a saint! Caleb on the other hand, he went through hell. His family turned their backs on him and he was alone. He doesn't need your or anyone's shit! He's a grown man and you know what… It was a good decision to leave. He's a professional and does good for the world. And also, don't blame him for what Emerson did to your daughter. Caleb is not responsible for the actions of his brother." She said despondently, leaning to the side to reach for Caleb's hand. "He's not responsible for the death of my son, Benedict. Because," she paused and sniveled. "If it was like that, you would be responsible for the death of his brother. Is that how you want him to see you? Why is it so hard to forgive? His brother's actions don't define him!" she said, raising her voice."

"Whatever," Dad said nippy.

"You should've seen how your mother cried!" Michelle, Collin's wife sighed from the other end of the table. "She cried, because to her, she lost two of her sons. She wasn't the greatest mother, but she is your only mother. I bet if she knew that you would be here… I bet she would've come." She smiled and leaned back into Collin's hug.

"We should call Lena and Embry over," Kim said, as she looked at Jared, her husband. Dad rolled his eyes and continued eating his food.

"I don't care, do whatever you guys want," Paul sighed and reached over to grab the mash potatoes bowl. He cursed when he couldn't reach it, so I handed it over to him. "Thanks, munchkin."

"You are welcome," I said, my eyes scanning the room.

"If you call her, then I'll leave," Caleb sighed.

"How ungrateful can you be? You left your mother without even saying goodbye. I don't consider your mother the greatest, but she still has a heart and really felt your absence." Nessie said, shaking her head.

"Jake," Caleb said. "Can you please ask your wife to refrain from speaking about my mother, please?"

"My husband doesn't stop me from speaking," she said furiously.

"Fine, then. I don't think that it's any of your business, Mrs. Black," Caleb said, placing his cup on the table. "You never considered my mother a friend, anyways." He said, raising his chin proudly. "If memory serves me correct, you hated my mother and my brother. I know that Emerson was an ass, but he was my brother. He loved Marie very much and he literally walked to hell for her. He made mistakes like any human person… But to my mother I was dead. I was a mistake and she often reminded me of that. So, don't come here acting all righteous, when you don't know half of my life."

"Enough," Byron Adam yelled. "Enough, please. The things that you guys are talking about are in the past. Emerson was a great kid. A little crazy at times, but he was kind. We should remember him for the good things that he did in his life, not the bad. He loved Marie with all his heart and that was his downfall," he said, pinching the bridge of his nose in annoyance. "Let's just try to be kind to one another. Caleb, I'm sorry for what happened to you."

"Adam," I said, standing up from my seat and walked over to him. I could tell that my brother wasn't feeling well. I handed him his glass of water and looked back at the table. "He, um, he reads a lot of Uncle Byron's notes." I laughed nervously, when Caleb eyed me suspiciously.

"Let's drop the subject," Grandpa said irritated. "There's no need to point fingers." He said, shaking his head.

. "I'm sorry, Brady. I didn't mean to-" Nessie began, but I was tired of her patronizing attitude.

"Yes, you did!" I snapped and glared at her, as I placed the glass cup that Byron Adam had handed me.

"Sunshine Marie," Dad hissed. "This conversation is none of your business."

"Yes, it is!" I barked, standing up next to my brother's chair. "That man right there," I said, pointing at Caleb. "Is my business! Anything that anyone say or does against him, is my business, father." I said, as big fat angry tears strolled down my face. "Why can't you see that he's my life?"

"Baby girl," Mom said caringly. "Don't cry. It's alright, don't cry, please. We know that he's your imprinter and you care for him, but you don't have to talk to your father that way." She said softly, as she stood up and placed her gentle hands on my shoulders. "Take a deep breath, sweetie."

"Mom," I mumbled, my eyes fixed on Caleb.

'Don't worry,' Caleb mouthed, followed by tender smile. It was his way of telling me not to worry about him. But how could I not worry about him? The only thing that my heart wanted to do was protect him. I wanted to keep him safe from harm.

"Why don't we talk about something else?" Grandfather Brooks said and motioned me to sit down. I nodded and obliged. I glared at my father and narrowed my eyes, when I saw him frowning. "So, Caleb, tell us a bit more about you."

"What would you like to know, Mr. Brooks?" he asked courteously.

"How the hell did this douche bag end up in your celebration, anyways, Dad?" My father asked condescending. "Last I heard from him, he left his parents and forgot about my daughter."

"Is that what you tell everyone?" Caleb asked testily.

"I tell them the truth," Dad sneered.

I saw Caleb shaking in his seat, as he held the edges of the table and scowled at my father. "So you tell people the truth, ha?"

"Yes," Dad said, bobbing his head.

"That's bullshit!" he said huskily. "I never left your daughter! I was stripped away from her life. Don't you remember that day at the cemetery, Benedict?"

"What is he talking about?" Mom asked, as she slowly sat down on her chair. Everyone's attention was focused on my father and Caleb.

"You didn't tell your wife? How convenient, right?" Caleb scoffed.

Mom shifted uncomfortably on her chair, focusing her attention at Caleb. "What happened at the cemetery?"

"Your husband told me that I came to the cemetery to laugh in his face the death of his brother. How ridiculous. I wasn't there to mock him or his brother. I was there, because I found Sunshine wandering around the woods alone. I felt protective and rushed to keep her safe. He found us and told me to stay away from her. Don't you remember, Benedict?" he deride, staring daggers at my dad. "I told you that if I was away from her, that I would die. You shouted that you rather see me dead than with your daughter! Well, you got it! I was dead for twelve years. I didn't have a purpose, because you took everything that matter from my life."

"Benedict, is this true?" Mom said, as tears of frustration fell down her face. I didn't notice that I was also crying. I felt Caleb's hurt and anguish, as he spoke to my father. I wanted to rush to his side and kiss his pain away.

"What I don't understand is how can you be such a hypocrite? You of all people should know how it feels to lose a brother! It hurt me so much, because I saw the pain my parents were going through when Emerson died. But, no, you didn't see past your pain, Benedict. When you took Sunshine away from me, you stuck a knife in my heart and left it there to remind me of my biggest failure. That day I lost hope and I even went to speak to my parents about it, but they told me that Emerson's death was too hard for them, that I needed to give them time!"

"Caleb," I sobbed.

"I was already dead," he paused and looked dejectedly at me. "I was so dead. You took away the only thing that made sense in my life."

"I'm sorry, Caleb," Mom said miserably. "I wish I've known this." She said, hiding her face in her hands. "I won't stop you from being with my daughter." She said, smiling behind her tears. "Ben and I won't stop you."

"Thanks," he said, as he smiled gratefully at my mother. "I should leave. I've talked about things that I thought I didn't have to speak of again." He said, wiping his mouth with a napkin. "Mr. & Mrs. Brooks, thank you for inviting me to your lovely celebration. It was a great honor to see you again." He said, walking around his chair and gently pushed it in. "Sunshine," he paused and smiled wearily. "Thank you for everything."

It felt like he was saying goodbye again. I placed my hand on my chest and sobbed softly. Was he leaving me again? Was he running away from me?

Mom quickly shook her head and dashed around the table and took my hand. "You can't leave," Mom said. "You can't just leave her like that. I know that we made a mistake by keeping her away from you… but… it is not at fault. Hate Benedict and I if you must, but don't hate our daughter." Mom pleaded sadly.

"I don't hate your daughter, Leah," he said calmly. "I just hate the injustice and the way people so easily raise a finger and judge." He said, looking around at the table, his eyes resting on Nessie.

"Let him leave, Leah," Dad said, not raising his head to look at us. "He's good at walking away. If he really loves our daughter, then he should let her live a happy life without him. He should let her go!"

"Benedict Collin," Grandma Brooks and Mom said simultaneously.

"What? It's the truth," Dad said, seething.

"Ben," Mom hissed, letting go of me and placing her hands on her hips. "Stop being such an idiot. How would you like it if someone kept you from me? I would be devastated. You know how much I love you. I can't even think of being away from you… Imagine how they feel?"

Dad sighed and shook his head. "I don't want to, Leah. I want him to forget my Sunnybug,"

"I won't," Caleb said with determination. "Your Sunnybug is my soul mate. I'll fight for her. I'll make her happy and there's nothing you can do!" he said with resolve. "Leah, is it alright if Sunny and I go to the beach and talk?" he asked, glaring at my father.

Mom smiled and nodded. "That's fine. Just make sure that nothing happens to her." Mom giggled behind her tears. "Sunshine, change into your comfortable clothes, sweetie."

"Um, can you wait for me?" I asked, gnawing at the inside of my cheeks. Caleb smiled and muttered thank you to my mother. I ran upstairs and went into my dad's old room and saw the duffel bag on top of his old bed. I quickly removed my dirty dress and hopped in the shower. I took the fastest shower in the world and hurriedly got dressed. In less than ten minutes, I was running down the stairs. I kissed my Mom goodbye and found my father leaning against the door glaring outside.

"Dad," I paused and without words, wrapped my arms around his waist and hugged him.

"Sunny," Dad muttered next to my ear. "I'm sorry. I just look at his face and find my brother's killer."

"But he's not," I said, pulling away from our embrace. "He's my soul mate. The person that destiny chose for me. Please, don't make me choose. Please, accept that he's in my life and I love him." I cried. Dad nodded and pulled me in to a hug and kissed my forehead.

"Can you forgive me?" he asked, leaning his forehand against mine.

"I already did," I said, smiling proudly at my father.


	5. Chapter 5

**Tangled In This Love**

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**Finally**

_Sunshine's POV_

I took off my shoes and rolled the legs of my pants up and picked up the shoes and walked quietly behind him.

"Do you want to walk near the water?" I asked him.

"No," he sighed. "But I'll watch you."

"It won't be fun without you," I chuckled. "Why don't you join me, Caleb?" I whined, walking towards the waves. "Feeling the cool water on your feet is revitalizing. It's invigorating. You should join me."

"I can't get dirty," His voice filled with mirth. "I gotta look good." he teased.

"You already look good, Caleb. No matter what you wear, I bet you look amazing."

"Thanks. I should keep you around," he said, sitting on the sand. "You keep my head inflated and my ego satisfied."

"I'll gladly tell you how amazing, good-looking and wonderful you are," I said, looking away from him. "But you don't need me to say it, you have Marissa. I bet you she tells you how handsome you are every day."

He slowly removed his shoes and rolled the legs of his own pants up. "Let's leave Marissa out of the conversation."

"You don't want me to talk about her?"

"No, it's not that... I just, um, don't want you to get sad... ugh! You are so difficult, Sunshine. It's like you love being a masochist. Or do you like torturing me?"

"It's not that. I just can't imagine you two together. Do you love her more than your soul mate, Caleb?" I spat self-consciously. "I was tailor made just for you. She's not the one for you." I whined. "It's like I'm worthless... destined to be a wandering soulless girl in this life."

"Don't say that. Marissa is a nice person, but she has nothing to do with you and me," He said and stood up from the ground. "You are meant to be with me and in its due time, you will end up beside me."

"So," I gulped. "Are you telling me that you are breaking up with her to be with me? Because that's the greatest news I've heard all afternoon!"

"I didn't say that either," he sighed. "But it's a great possibility. I can't be with her and think of a future with you, right?"

"Yes, I truly don't see her in our future." I said, hiding my smile from him. "Are you joining me then?" I asked, changing the subject.

"I'll stand here to watch you play in the water."

"I don't want to play in the water. I just like the way the water feels against my skin. You took off your shoes. Why don't you join me?" I said, pouting. He shook his head and I ran closer to the water and kicked it. It felt good to feel the cool liquid grazing my skin. "This is fun, come on! Join me, please. You look like you could use some fun in your life."

"Why do you say that?" he asked curious.

"Your demure is so serious and I want to make you smile." I said shyly, tucking my fists inside my front pockets.

"That's who I am," he paused and walked over to the water. "A very responsible, intelligent and serious man." He said, crossing his arms over his chest. "Is that bad for you? Were you expecting something else?" he asked seriously.

I shook my head and bit the inside of my cheeks. "No, you are fine just the way you are. You just need… you should laugh and smile more often, Caleb." I sighed and walked further away from him. "Your laughter is intoxicating and-" I paused and looked away. "It makes me happy to know that you are enjoying yourself. When you are too serious… it makes me sad. Because I think that you aren't happy."

"I laughed earlier," he muttered, as he trudged after me.

"I know," I sighed. "I just love your laughter, Caleb," I said, turning around to face him. "It's soft and it makes my heart race so fast."

He became quiet and pensive. I didn't want to interrupt his thoughts. Just looking at him under the dim light of the moon and the few stars on the sky was enough for me. My heart was beating fast. Everything about him was just right, down to the style of his hair to the stoic stand that he took whenever he wanted to analyze the world in front of him. I felt my soul attach itself to him and I swear that it told me that it wouldn't let go. I couldn't breathe when his eyes fell on me. My senses were all haywire. I wasn't myself anymore. I lost control of my heart and it felt good. It felt great to be in love. Yes, I was completely smitten and in love with Caleb Call. I loved him and he wouldn't even dare to look into my eyes and see how much I needed him. I also understood that he didn't want to betray Marissa. I wouldn't want that either. The serious side of me outweighed the situation, but the carefree side of me wanted him to drop everything in his life just for me. I wanted him to forget about Marissa and concentrate on me. He was a very honest person and I knew that he wanted to solve our dilemma the correct way, but hell, the selfish girl in me wanted Marissa out of the picture, ASAP!

"Let's continue walking," he muttered and walked over to his shoes.

"No, let's stay a bit longer, please." I begged.

"If we stay here too long, I might lose my composure and just and ki - um, let's just go, please." he stuttered.

"Why? The night is perfect. The moon is full; the stars are sparkling in the sky. It's perfect... everything is pointing at how perfect we are together." I said hopeful. "Why don't you just give in and fall in love with me, Caleb? I promise to never hurt you. I swear… I'll be everything and all the things that you need me to be. Just let me into your heart, please."

I wasn't good at expressing myself before, but with Caleb. I had to. I didn't know how much time I had with him. I was afraid that the moment he left my sight, he would leave me again. I didn't want to think of living a lifetime without him. I know that it was strange at how obsess I was becoming with him. I needed him so much. It's like a force guided me straight into him. I wanted... I desperately wanted to be with him. This force was called Caleb Kenneth Call; he was that force that made me want to fight harder to be close to him. The love I felt for him was so strong and so overpowering. It was exactly how Mom described her love for my father. It was the power of destiny that had bonded our souls together. I didn't want to be separated from him. I had twelve years to learn to love a faceless man and now that I knew who it was, I completely understood. My soul had yearned for him over the years we weren't together and now, it didn't want to let go. I didn't want it to let go.

"I think we should get going," he sighed, shaking his head.

I didn't know why he was acting so strange. Did he feel the turmoil my heart was feeling?

"OK, let's go." I said and waited till he finished putting on his shoes.

He stood up and began walking towards the opposite side of the beach. I didn't know where he was taking me; I just knew that I would follow him to the end. I didn't care where he would lead me; I just wanted to be with him. He was my life and I know that it was sudden, but I felt this perpetual need to be near him.

"Why did you leave?" I asked out of the blue.

"What?"

"I know that you want us to be friends, but there's one thing that I can't understand… W-Why did you leave me, Caleb? Why didn't you stay?"

"I had to,"

"You could've stayed around. We could've grown together. I could've been closed to you. Like Caleigh and Michael. It could've been just like them! I could have had an album filled with pictures of you and me! But all I have is this weekend to know a bit of you." I said dejectedly, pulling at my hair desperately. "And whenever I try talking to you about it you shout at me… all I get is that… I wasn't good enough for you."

"I'm tire of this, princess," he said, walking closer to me. "I don't want to argue with you. Please, Sunnygirl, let's not argue. I'm trying hard to make sense of all this. I didn't leave you because you weren't worth it. Oh, god knows that you are so good for me. But, you can't just pretend that I can just drop everything in my life… I need time to think. You think that this isn't hard on me? I'm raking my brains trying to come up with a solution that enables me to be near you. It's not easy. What do you think I should do?" he asked, dropping his hands to his sides.

"I don't know," I shouted. "What do I have to do for you to stay with me? I'm so afraid that you will choose that Marissa girl and I will be left questioning myself, why wasn't I good enough for you? I'm always going to be questioning myself if I'm really worth it… I'm always going to be questioning why did you leave me?" I said, looking up at the platinum moon that adorned the horizon.

"Sunshine," he sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I couldn't stay. I was young… too young to even make it on my own if I wanted to. I had the help of my Aunt Heather and your amazing grandparents. They paid for my college and treated me like I was their son. I had to get out of La Push. I wasn't welcome anywhere… Did you see the way Nessie, Michelle and all of them stared at me? I was never wanted in this place. That's why I never came back. I had to leave. But the hardest thing that I had to do was leave you behind. I tried so hard to forget you, but not a day went by that I didn't think of you." He said despondently. "When I left, I thought of how much it was going to hurt me. But your grandfather told me that if I was leaving La Push, to make something of myself. To prove to all the people that saw me as a negative influence on your life, that I was better than them. He told me to study and have a profession. He said that I had to provide for you in the future. That was my drive. I studied, got a career and now, if you want me to… in the future, of course. I can give you everything that you deserve. Trust me, Sunny, I was lost. Before I left La Push, I didn't have a dime on my name. Damn it! Every time you speak to me like that, it's like you are going to judge me all over again for my mistakes. You know, I'm human. I make mistakes. To err is to be human. Thinking about my past is difficult for me, too! I have to live with the mistakes of leaving you for the rest of my life. Why can't we move forward and try to find a common ground where we can actually find happiness?"

"I just need you to know how I feel, Caleb!" I shouted miserably. "I have been lied to by my parents. My imprinter has a girlfriend and I don't – ugh! Just forget it. Forget it! I bet that you are dying to leave La Push again."

"Please, don't say that! For the first time in many years, I'm glad to be here."

"You are?"

"Yes," he nodded and took my hand in his. "Why don't you tell me how you feel? Don't bottle it in, Sunshine."

"My feelings are many…"

"Then tell them all to me. I can help you. If you let me, Sunny."

"Ok," I said in a low voice. "I fear that when you leave La Push, you'll be back in Chicago and I'll be forgotten." I said so livid. "You'll forget me and live with that Marissa witch and I'll have to mend my broken heart on my own."

"Sunshine," he said, cupping my chin in his hand. "Don't say that. Please, don't paint me to be the bad guy. I never been able to forget you and I doubt that I ever will. Sunshine, you are my-"

"What, Caleb?" I sighed. "I'm your what? For once, tell me what I am to you. Don't tell me that I'm your friend… because… I don't see you as a friend. You wanted me to tell you how I felt… I feel like destiny gave me the gift of love in you and then it punished me for mistakes I made in some past life. Why can't I be with you?"

"This is difficult for me too," he said, placing his hands over my shoulder. "Having you in my life changes everything! You are so important to me. I've been thinking about how we are going to make this work. I do know that after having you near me, I won't be able to live the same life I did before. You are too special for me. You make everything so much better." He said gently. "You are the most important person in the world. What I feel for Marissa can't be compared to what I'm feeling for you right now. I'm being honest, when I say this, Sunshine. I lied when I told you that I didn't feel something so strong for you. I don't see you like a little sister. I truly don't. I see you and I see a future. A future with many possibilities."

I smiled satisfied, as my thoughts began to race a thousand miles a minute. My heart was beating hard. Did he see me as his future wife and the mother of his children?

_This is nice,_ I thought pleased. _I love you so much, Caleb._

I stopped crying for a bit and rested my head on his chest. His rhythmic heart beats lulled me into a tranquil state. I gently wrapped my arms around his waist and sighed deeply. This is where I belonged.

"I have a question for you, Sunshine," he said against my hair.

"Yes," I asked, pulling away from him.

"Why did you forgive your father so easily? He hid the fact that you had a soul mate for so long," he sighed and clenched his fists on his sides. "I don't know why you forgave him so damn easily. I still can't forgive him or my parents for-"

"It wasn't easy," I said, lowering my head to look at the dark covered floor.

"It wasn't?"

"No. I love my father. He's my Dad. He would give his life for me." I muttered. "I don't approve of his decision to keep me away from you. His motives weren't the correct one. But he loves me so much. I can't blame him for trying to do what he thought was right for me. I love my father and his good deeds outweigh the bad things he's done to me."

"It seems so easily,"

"It wasn't easy." I said gloomily. "I don't want to have a bitter relationship with him. I don't want to be like my great grandfather Joshua Reynolds and his daughter Savannah. She fell in love with a vampire or a vampire hybrid and my Dad's grandfather vanished her and it almost took twenty years for a reconciliation between them. I really don't know much of the story… but, um, I don't want to divide the family."

"You are too good, Sunshine."

"I'm not. I just look at it this way; I don't want to suffer not having my father in my life. Hate kills you and blinds you. You can't see past your hatred and that takes away from the beauty of life. It destroys you inside out." I said, as a lone tear fell down my face.

"It does destroy you," he said and stopped trudging. "It kills you inside and it makes you bitter."

"I don't want that for you, either. I don't want you to suffer. I know that it's not easy to forgive, but life is so short and it's so much better to enjoy the little things than delve in the what-ifs of what the past could've brought you."

"Sunny," he said, turning around. "Did you really knew that I w- did you dream of me? Do you really… and please, be honest - Do you really love me? You are so young and so innocent. I don't want you to change your mind and hate me for imprinting on you."

"Yes, I love you so much." I smiled, wiping the tear with the heel of my hand. "Can't you see it? Can't you hear my heart? I've dreamed of you endlessly. I dreamed of you and I have loved you since forever. And I love you, but to you that's not enough, Caleb!"

In my heart, I always knew that I had a soul mate. I dreamed of him and in those dreams, he was my life. It was difficult to believe that a couple of hours ago, I was broken. But after meeting him again, I was completed. I was whole again. He'd been that missing piece that my heart had been searching for. I swear that I felt elated to have him near me. He couldn't deny the bond that beckoned him to me. We were like the ends of opposite magnets, attracted.

"I do believe you-"

"Then? What seems to be the problem? Are you afraid of giving me a chance?"

"Sunny," he whispered and pulled me in his arms and embraced me. "Sunny, my beautiful girl, you are so amazing. I don't know what I did to deserve you. Why do you love me so much? You don't know me! I'm not good for you and yet you insist that I fall for you. If you continue, I'll be head-over-heels in love with you. And I won't ever let you go. I'll be the one following you to every corner of this Earth. I'm so afraid. I don't want to end up like Emerson. I truly don't want to lose my life to my imprint."

"Don't worry about that. You aren't going to end up like your brother. I won't let it happen. I will love you forever. Just give me a chance. Caleb," I said, tightening my arms around his neck. "Let go of all your inhibitions and love me. I'm not going to hurt you. I swear. I won't let your heart suffer. I'll be here for you."

He inhaled deeply and slowly pulled me away. "You are still so young. I'm not a teenager, Sunny. I still have to straighten some things out before I even consider giving this relationship a chance. Please, be my friend for now. I know that it's too much to ask of my angel, but please, please, for now only… be my friend." He whispered softly next to my ear.

"Just for now, I'll be your friend. But please, hold me tight, please." I sniffled and melted in to a pool of goo, when he held me firmly against his chest.

We remained embraced for a long while. I didn't want his arms to ever let me go, but I understood what he meant. There were things that needed to be taken care of, before we even let our love take flight. I knew that he was feeling something for me. I could tell by the way he looked at me and grazed his hands over my arms, with such affection. We walked down the beach holding hands and I thought of how much my life had changed over the span of a few hours.

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Review, please!


	6. Chapter 6

**Tangled in This Love**

AN: Thanks for the reviews. I hope that I could get more for this chapter… if not, oh, well. I have to be grateful for all the things that I have in life.

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**Only Her**

_Caleb's POV_

It was a little after midnight, when Sunshine and I made it back to her grandparents' house. It's drizzling and I feared that the night air mixed with the rain would get my princess sick. I cleared my throat and blushed. It was becoming second nature to call her my princess. She was so beautiful and amazing, just too wonderful for me. She was like the sun, so radiant and alive.

"The house is dark," Sunshine muttered uneasily. "I thought that my Dad would still be here," she sighed and stopped trudging. "I don't want to go inside. I'm having a great night. I don't want it to end." She said, gnawing at the corner of her lips.

"Me neither," I said, tilting my head up and stared at the dark clouds. "I had a great time with you. It's sad that it's coming to an end, right?" I blurted out. I felt my cheeks blush the minute the words came out. I slowly let go of her hand and raked my fingers through my hair tautly and looked away from her, but it was useless.

"I am glad that you like being with me, Caleb," she said, playing with the loop of my pant and avoided eye contact. "It's nice to know that you enjoy being with me."

"Why would you say that?"

"Um," she gulped. "I'm just saying this because, well, I don't have many friends at school and when I am with you, I feel like I can tell you everything. I'm not scared to speak my mind… I guess that's because we are soul mates and with you, I-I don't feel embarrassed or coy at all." She said, looking up at me from behind those long and thick lashes.

"Um," I managed to say and inhaled deeply. "I guess. Listen," I paused and placed my hands inside my pockets. "We should get you inside,"

"Yeah," she said dully.

"We can talk some more tomorrow," I said, when I saw her saddened face. "I'll come and visit you again. I won't leave until Monday. I was thinking that we can spend – I don't know- the rest of the weekend together. You can show me around La Push since I've not been here in almost twelve years."

"Yeah," she said and looked away from me. "That'll be nice."

"That'll be great," I said, followed by an awkward silence. I looked around and saw that the hose was dark and there was no one around. "So, um, let's get you safely inside." I smiled silently, when we walked closer to the sliding door and discovered that it'd been locked from the inside. "It's locked. Didn't Brady or Leslie know that you're still here?"

She chuckled and played with her hair, her other hand still clutched at the loop of my pant as if she didn't want me to leave her. "Maybe we should go towards the front of the house. Grandma leaves the key under the flower pot next to the large Oak tree that Adam and I planted a few years ago." She said, taking my hand in hers, as she dragged me down with her. "Come on," she said as she smiled at me in the darkness. I looked around and sighed. How could it be that a single smile could drive me so insane? I wanted to hold her tightly and never let go, but as I closed my eyes, I saw Marissa's face when I told her that I couldn't be with her. I had seen the whole scenery unfolding before my eyes. I was going to cause her pain. It wasn't inevitable. It was going to happen, because after spending so much time with Sunshine, I couldn't be with Marissa.

"Are you alright?" Sunny asked me worriedly.

I shook my head and gently kissed the back of her hand. "I'm just thinking about something," I mumbled.

"You can tell me anything," she said brightly. "I'm here for you."

"It's nice to hear that, Sunshine,"

"It's the truth," she smiled and bit her lip. "Come, let's get the key."

We went around the house and stopped in front of the porch. "I'll get the key," she said with a breezy smile and sauntered to the flower pot and carefully lifted it up and removed a single key. She turned to me and smiled under the dim light of the front porch. "I got it!" she exclaimed content. "Do you want to come in for some hot chocolate?"

"No, thanks," I mumbled. "You should go inside now,"

She shook her head. "No,"

"You have to," I said reluctantly. I didn't want to let her go. I didn't want to part ways. I wanted to know her more. I wanted to see the way her nose wrinkled whenever she smiled or the cool ocean water touched her skin. "I promise to come and see you tomorrow?"

"OK," she sighed sadly. "You promise?"

"I promise," I said with conviction.

"OK, then,"

She took my hand in both of hers and pressed them close to her heart. "Well," she said, looking down at our joint hands. "Um, thanks for the walk. I had a great time."

"I did too," I said hoarsely, as my eyes settled on her lips.

"Have a great night," she said, unconsciously glazing her tongue over her lips. I reached over with my free hand and tucked a few strands of her hair behind her ear. "I wish you would stay close to me. I don't want to lose you again." She confessed and smiled dejectedly. "Three days to know you isn't enough, lo- Caleb."

"I will be with you and I'll never let you go," I said, caressing her chin with my thumb. "In its due time, I will be with you." I said, my eyes fixed on her face and lips. I was tempted by the subtle movement of her tongue glazing over her supple and inviting lips. I looked away and scanned the perimeter of the house and sighed, when I heard no one. Brady and Leslie were asleep and no one was near the house to hear what transpired between us.

She stepped away from me and carefully let go of my hand. "Will I really see you tomorrow?" she asked, holding the hem of her shirt nervously. I nodded and stood there, mesmerized by the scent of her perfume and the aura that had been changing with every minute that I spent with her. She was still naïve and innocent, but the innate movements of her curvy and womanly body, was starting to make me hyperventilate. I was amazed at how fast this imprinting stuff was working on me. I was falling and hard.

I mean, seven hours ago, I had a life and after seeing her… damn, I wasn't the same anymore. I was slowly falling under the spell of her caramel eyes. I'd been surprised to see her, but now, well; it felt good to be near her, to smell the scent of her body near mine. I felt a tender feeling spring from my heart, when our eyes met again. I'd lost hope all those years of ever seeing my imprint, but when I saw her again, I forgot about myself and all that made sense was her. She held my soul stable. I had to fight hard to break away from the enchantment she'd cast on me with her smile. I regretted telling her that she was a mistake, because god knows that she was never a mistake. She was the best thing in my life. I was thankful that she was my soul mate. I didn't voice my thanks, but I was convinced that she was the path to happiness. I couldn't envision Sunshine with anyone else. She was mine. My heart had claimed her as his and I was sure that nothing would change that fact. But as we stood in silence, wrapped under the blanket of the night, I felt the magic take rise in the air. I could feel with my heat those invisible steel cables attaching themselves to my soul. I was helpless… no, not helpless, I was falling in love. I was really falling for her… but at the same time, I couldn't. I just couldn't take the leap into the unknown, without straightening my life. There was a girl waiting for me back at the hotel in Forks. I wouldn't jump into a relationship with Sunshine, while still dating Marissa. It wasn't who I was. I was honest and I wanted to be honest with both girls. Marissa had been a great person in my life and I owed Sunshine my life. She'd been the light in the darkness of my life and Marissa had been a helping hand during those dark days.

"I should get going," I said ashamed, as I thought of Marissa, waiting in the hotel lobby for me. I'd promised her that I would be back as soon as I gave Leslie and Brady their anniversary gift, but I never went back. I sighed irritated. Why did it have to be like this?

"Why?" Sunshine asked, as she walked up the first step and then turned to face me. She frowned and stepped on the second step and smiled in satisfaction when we were eye leveled. "That's much better." She smiled lovingly.

"Now you are as tall as me," I said, smiling at her.

"Caleb," she paused and turned serious and shifted on the heels of her feet. "There's something that has been bothering me…"

"What is it, princess?" I asked, clasping her hand in mine and lacing my fingers with hers. She gulped nervously and gently made lazy circles on the back of my hand. "You want to tell me something, but are embarrassed, right?"

"Yes," she sighed. "I don't want you to think that I'm easy."

"I would never think badly of you," I reassured her and moved closer to her. To be honest, I didn't want to let my heart and soul loose in front of her. I didn't want to lose control of my feelings. That's what loved caused, an inexplicable flux of idiocy that caused you to make a fool of yourself.

"C-Can I-I, uh, see," she paused and wiped her forehead with the back of her free hand. "This is so difficult," she laughed anxiously. "Can I ki-" she trailed off.

If my deductions were right, she wanted to kiss me. I could see it written on her beautiful face and the desire blazing in her eyes. I wanted to succumb to the idea, but I couldn't. I couldn't even if it was the correct thing to do at the moment. I had a girlfriend. I just couldn't start any type of relationship with Sunshine, without ending the one that I had with Marissa. They both deserved the right thing. I wasn't going to play with them. It wasn't in my nature to be so contemptible and selfish.

"OK, then," she smiled radiantly. "I have a favor to ask you. You already know," she bit pursed her lips and shook her head.

"What is it?" I said aloof, caressing her forearm.

"Um, I'm so embarrassed," she whispered and shifted the key from one hand to the other. She leaned forward and with her free hand caressed my chin, cheeks and hair. "You are beautiful, Caleb." She confessed, as her cheeks turned a beautiful crimson color. "Your gray eyes make me feel like I'm in the middle of a tempest…"

"Is that bad?" I chuckled fussily. I was under the magic charm she'd placed on me with her candor. I needed to step away, but she didn't allow me. Her soul had turned me into her slave. "Am I that scary?"

She shook her head and giggle. "No, that's not what I meant. I meant that I am in the middle of a storm… like in the eye of a hurricane. I can see the devastating effects of the storm, but I'm far away, tuck safely in your heart. You do have sort of a volatile temper, Caleb." She teased, her index finger caressing the corners of my lips. "You won't ever hurt me, right? I can trust my life in your hands, right?"

"Never will I hurt you," I promised. "You're my life. I can't hurt you… I was born to protect you… I'll die before I ever make you suffer." I said, cupping her face in my hand. "You won't ever lie to me, right? I can't-"

"Never," she vowed, shushing me with her smile. "I'm not good at lying. I tend to chuckle like a maniac." She said, her eyes scanning my face. "Will you dream of me, Caleb?"

"I will…" I said lowly, drowning in her sparkling orbs. She slowly got closer to me and I felt her breast pressed against my chest. "I should get going… I completely forgot about- I'm leaving now."

"Can I walk you back to your car?"

"No, its fine. I can do it myself. You go inside and stay safe. I'll watch you from here. Go inside, Sunshine."

"Can I have your cell phone?" she asked suddenly, taking a step back.

"What for?" I asked, as I inadvertently reached inside my front pocket and pulled my Iphone.

"Just give it here," she said, snatching the phone out of my hand.

"What are you doing?" I chuckled confused. "Do you even know how to use it?"

She nodded and started playing with my phone. There was an impish smile on her lips and I couldn't help be intrigued by the way she stuck out her tongue and concentrated. "You'll see what I'm doing in a few seconds," she said, without looking at me.

"OK," I nodded puzzled.

She continued tinkering with the phone and sighed in approval. "Done, come closer to me, please." She said contently, linking my arm with hers.

"Like this?" I said, taking half a step closer to her.

"Yeah," She said, looking down at our feet. She then arched an eyebrow and shook her head. "You need to scoot a bit closer, please."

"Better?" I said, when she pulled me to her. She was practically inches away from me. I could feel her breath tickling the skin of my arm and I had to inhale deeply. I was falling in her spell and losing my grasp on self-control.

"Much better," she giggled and turned to the side, until her derriere was touching my side and tilted her head. "I'm going to take a picture, Caleb. Don't be so stiff. Relax." She said, pressing her cheek next to the nape of my neck. "Now smile!" she said contently. She pressed the button and the light of the flash blinded me. She moved away from me and examined the picture and frowned. "I don't like it. OK, one more time, please."

I nodded, because I was at her mercy and if she wanted me to jump down a cliff wearing a Speedo in the middle of winter, then hell yes, I would do it, just to keep her happy.

"Wait, Caleb, you need to turn your head a bit this way." She said, as she pressed herself against me. She whipped her head to my side and nodded. "Yes, like that. I think that it's perfect. I want this picture to look good."

With her free hand, she tilted my head, until her cheek was resting with my chin. "I'm going to count to three," she said, her voice faltering. "OK," she whispered, veering her face, until our lips touched. She closed her eyes and gently pecked me on the lips.

She quickly stepped back and gasped. "Sunshine," I muttered, my eyes opened wide. "What-"

"I couldn't help it," she said, one hand on her lips. "I'm sorry. I couldn't – I didn't-," she hyperventilated, as tears threatened her eyes. "I'm sorry."

"No, no," I said, touching her shoulders. She shook her head and stepped away from me. "Don't, no, um, don't cry." I said nervously.

"I couldn't help it." She sniffled. "I'm not sorry. I want to kiss you more. It's just- It's so hard to fight this feeling that is more powerful than me." She said, her arms flailing nervously around her face.

"Baby girl," I muttered, and hugged her, but she pushed me away.

"No, please, just, just go and be with her." She said, placing the phone in my hand and turned around, rushing to the front door. She struggled to place the key in the keyhole. "Just go and be with her. I know that you are still with her. I know that what I did is wrong. I've placed you in such an inconvenient position and I feel terrible."

"I can't go when I know that you are going to feel guilty for-" I said truthfully.

"For kissing you…? I shouldn't feel guilty. It should feel natural when I kiss you, but I do feel horrible. Now I feel like I made you betray Marissa." She said in agony. "I don't want you to feel bad. I don't want you to hate me, please, don't ever hate me!"

"Princess," I said, rushing to her side and embraced her. "You are fine. I know that there are things that we can't control… I don't hate you. I can never hate you."

"Why are you so good to me? All I've done tonight is whine and you… you are a righteous man and what I've done is uncalled for. I've betrayed your trust… I couldn't help it, Caleb,"

"I'm sorry. I'm the one that should apologize to you. I should've kept a distance," I whispered in her hair. "I'm the one that should apologize."

She got on the tips of her toes and looped her arms around my neck and brought me closer to her, until our foreheads were touching. "I love you, Caleb. I love you so much that it's hurting me. I can't pretend that I can live without you, because I can't. I'm dying inside every time that I think that you'll be leaving me," she said desperately, as her lips touched mine. "I can't pretend that I can be away from you." She said, as she pulled away and cried with her eyes closed.

She rested her lips against mine and that's when I lost control of myself and in a swift movement, scooped her in my arms and with force kissed her lips. She tightened her hold on me and slowly opened her mouth, as she nervously brought my bottom lips between hers. It was magic the way her satiny lips felt against mine. It was difficult to describe, but I was falling in her trap. She was seducing me in ways that I thought weren't possible.

"Sunshine, my love." I muttered against the kiss. "Sunnygirl," I said against her lips, as she unloosed one of her slim arm from around my neck and placed it around my back and made lazy circles. I brought her body closer to mine and slowly placed her on the floor. "I- We can't do this."

"She won't know," Sunshine muttered, as she gnawed at my bottom lip. "Am I doing it right? I've never kissed before." She said, interrupting my thoughts.

"You are doing great," I said breathlessly, and slowly sank my fingers in to her thick tresses. "You are doing perfect, princess." I nipped softly on her upper lip and slowly traced the inside of her mouth with my tongue. She moaned lowly and brought her hands to my chin and kissed me fervently.

I couldn't stop kissing her. It was impossible to not kiss her. I'd been walking close to the edge of a cliff and without knowing it, I took a misstep and fell into the arms of Sunshine. I didn't think of anything, all that mattered was her. Her lips, her mouth and her love for me. I wanted to immerge myself in the softness of her lips and the strawberry-lemon scent that emanated from her long curly hair.

"Don't answer it," she said against my lips, when my phone began to ring. "Tell whoever is calling you that you're with me," she begged, as she suckled on my lip. "You are mine. Only mine, angel."

"I have to," I said, kissing her cheek, followed by her chin. "We have to stop. It's not correct. I promise that you and I will be together." I said, kissing her lips once more. "I'll kiss you and it will be better than now… but, not like this."

"Why do you say that?" she asked, pulling me into another kiss. "Is that her calling you?" she said annoyed.

"Yes," I nodded, and slowly dropped my hands to my side. She looked down at the floor and stepped back. "I have to answer."

"Oh," she muttered despondently and ran her hand over her face. "Um, I better go inside… Sweet dreams." She said miserably and ambled over to the door. "Don't come tomorrow. I don't think that I can be with you." She said, inserting the key in the hole.

"Sunshine," I said exhausted. "Please, don't be like that. Let's talk. Please."

"Goodbye, Caleb," she said, as tears fell down her face and she turned around, leaving me standing under the light of the porch. She walked inside the house and I could hear her soft crying as she locked the door and ran upstairs. I cursed myself and my inability to control my desires for her. I'd seriously fucked it.

I walked to my car and opened the driver's side door and flopped on the seat. I fucking hated my life. The phone stopped ringing and I slammed it against the passenger seat. I turned on the ignition and put the vehicle on Reverse and backed out of the driveway. I looked back at the Brooks' house and saw Sunshine staring out of the upstairs window. I could see the tears streaming down her face and I felt my heart shattering into many pieces. I reluctantly placed the Jeep on the drive and with a burdened heart made it to the hotel.

"Sunshine," I whispered, as I walked out of the Jeep when I reached the hotel's parking lot. I didn't want to go inside the hotel. I didn't want to face Marissa. I inhaled deeply and with faltering steps walked down the hall. I couldn't stop thinking of Sunshine. The taste of her lips still lingered on mine. Her scent remained on my clothes, making me want to run back to her.

I slowly turned the key on the doorknob and opened the hotel bedroom door. I could hear Marissa's slow breathing. I sighed and closed the door behind me. I knew that she wasn't asleep, but I didn't have the strength to argue with her. My heart was heavy with sadness and doubt. Being next to Marissa wasn't the same. I never felt completely in love with her, but her company salvaged me from going crazy and now, I craved for another person's company.

I sat at the edge of the bed and thought of Sunshine's sad face. It hurt like nothing in the world. No physical pain could compare to the agony that I felt inside me. I was deep in thought, when I felt warm arms wrap around my neck. Marissa kissed my neck softly and pressed her chest against my back.

"I missed you," she purred in my ear.

"I'm not in the mood," I said, unwrapping her arms from around my neck. "I'm going to take a shower." I said coldly and stood up, walking over to my luggage. I grabbed my shorts and a white undershirt and sauntered to the bathroom, locking the door. I didn't even bother looking back at her. I didn't want to see her. I wanted only my beautiful Sunshine.


	7. Chapter 7

**Tangled In This Love**

* * *

**Another Strange Day**

_Sunshine's POV_

Hell was set on destroying my life. Yes, someone, somewhere, was laughing at my misery. Not only did I cry myself to sleep, I also made the decision to forget him, but it was useless. I still felt his lips on mine. I could smell his lingering scent on the clothes that I wore last night. I didn't know what to do. This was the first time that my heart ached so much. I got up early in the morning and without saying goodbye to my grandparents got on the public bus and left to Forks. It was a nice sunny day and a change of scenery hopefully was going to do me some good… right? Wrong! It didn't do me any good.

The moment I stepped out into the bus stop, I fell on the sidewalk and scraped my hands and knees. The contents of my purse flew all around me, it was humiliating. I felt hot tears stream down my face, as I picked up my belongings and shoved them in my black purse and got up. I limped to the closest small diner and without looking around walked over to the back of the establishment and sat in a booth. I reached for my phone and dialed my sister's phone, but there was no answer. I groaned annoyed and slammed the phone on the table.

"Can I get you something?" A deep masculine voice said. I shook my head and hid my tears from him. "Hey, you have blood," he said, kneeling beside me and took my hand. "The palm of your hand is bleeding. What happened?" he asked worriedly, inspecting it.

"I'm fine," I said, as I tried to jerk my hand away from him. "It's nothing, just a scrape."

He huffed and inhaled deeply. "Come, let's get your wounds cleaned and taken care of." He said, as he pulled me off the seat and practically dragged me to the deli's kitchen.

"Wait," I sobbed. "Hold on. I fell and hurt my knees too. You are too tall and I can't keep up with your strides." I said, stopping in the middle of the room and sniveled. I looked up at the person that was helping me and he slowly let go of my hand. "Do I know you?" I asked curious, brushing the tears with my sleeve.

He was taller than me and almost as tall as my brother, Adam. He stared at me worriedly and studied my features. I could've sworn that he reminded me of Caleb… He was broad shoulder, with a strong jaw. His brown eyes were expressive and he just looked like my Caleb, only younger looking.

"No, I don't think so." he smiled, shaking his head. "I haven't seen you around here before." He said, eyeing me curiously. "We should get your scrapes cleaned. You don't want them infected, right?" he said and motioned me to follow him. "I'll go slowly. Do you need me to carry you?" he laughed.

"No, thanks," I said, glancing at him. His features were so similar to Caleb that for a second, I thought that I was staring at a younger version of him. My heart was pounding fast as I stared at him. "I can walk."

"OK, whatever you say." He said. We walked towards the narrow hall and stopped in a small office. "The emergency kit is somewhere around here." He laughed nervously. "My Dad tends to hide it from my Mom. He's not that good in the kitchen so he tends to get cut a lot. But he heals fast. Plus, Mom doesn't let him work here." He said mindlessly, as he rummaged through the drawers and nodded his head when he found a red plastic box. "Here it is," he said, turning to face me. "You should seat." He said, motioning at the foldable chair.

"Thanks," I said grateful. "I'm sorry to be taking up your time. I didn't plan on falling down and scraping my hands." I chuckled nervously. "Everything that's happening to me… is… ugh!" I said, staring down at my bloodstained hands.

He pulled out another chair and placed the emergency kit on it. "So, are you the new girl around here?" he asked, taking my purse and set it next to my foot and took my hand and placed it on his lap. I examine the room and felt comfortable enough to relax around him.

"No," I whispered and he lifted his head to face me. "I'm just visiting my grandparents in La Push."

"You are far from La Push," he said, grinning widely at me.

I continued staring at him. There was something memorable in his face, but I couldn't place his face in my memory data. I watched as he opened the emergency kit and pulled out alcohol swabs, gauze, band-aids and Neosporin ointment.

"This is going to sting a bit," he said, as he took my wrist in his and carefully opened the individual alcohol swabs. "I promise that I'll be quick, so you don't feel a lot of pain."

"I don't mind the pain," I muttered. "My hearts been ripped out of my chest."

"Why do you say that?" he asked, his eyes settled on what he was doing.

"Because it's the truth," I said depressed.

"Sorry to hear that," he whispered. "OK, here it goes." He said, concentrating on swiping the alcohol on the scrapes on my right hand. I watched him attentively, hissing when the pain of the sting from the alcohol was unbearable. "I'm sorry. It's not my intention to hurt you." He said apologetic.

"It's fine," I said, smiling behind the tears that were falling. Why couldn't I fall in love with someone that was close in age to me? I bet that if I had someone like the guy sitting in front of me, my life would've been less traumatic. "I appreciate what you are doing." I said, when he placed a bandage on the heel of my hand.

"We finished your left and right hand," He said, arching a perfect eyebrow. "Now we have to take care of your knees." He smiled. "OK, roll up the legs of your pants. Let's get you all better."

"Oh, ok," I said self-consciously.

I slowly rolled the legs of my pant up and felt my face flushing with embarrassment, when I saw my knees bleeding. Dad was going to be sad. He didn't like any of his children getting hurt.

"You took a pretty nasty fall," he said, shaking his head worriedly.

I don't know why, but I felt different around him. I didn't even know his name, but there was something familiar in him. I stared at his eyes, and found that they were almond shape, similar to Caleb. Damn, I was even comparing him to Caleb. I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply and tried pushing the image of Caleb Call out of my mind.

"Ok," he said, bringing me back to reality. "We are done."

_Why was I thinking of Caleb all this time?_ "Wow that was fast. I didn't even feel a thing." I said surprised. "Thanks," I said, lowering the legs of my pants. "How can I repay you?"

"For real? You are serious?" he said, frowning. "I did nothing that deserves payment." He said offended.

"I'm sorry," I said, standing up from the chair. "I just wanted to repay you for the favor that you did. I can't just leave and not do something to show you my gratitude." I said.

He laughed and shook his head. "Knowing that you are fine, is payment enough," He said and stood up from his chair and threw the wrappers in the trash can and placed the emergency kit back in the drawer. He stood up straight and I had to crane my neck just to look at him.

"Wow, you are tall," I said shyly, picking up my purse.

"I know," he said uncomfortable and ran his hand over his hair. "Let's get out of this room." He said, placing his hand on my elbow and steered me back to the dining area of the deli. "Be careful," he said, when I almost tripped against a mop and bucket. "You really are a bit of a klutz." He chuckled.

"Not always," I said nervously, when I passed by the kitchen and saw a surly looking woman glaring at me. "Um, I should leave."

"No, stays a bit longer," he said, looking inside the kitchen and waving at the woman. Her feature softened and she smiled back at him. "That's my mom." He said proudly.

"Nice," I muttered and continued walking back to the booth I'd been sitting earlier. "Thanks," I said, when he helped me seat.

"So, do you want something to drink or eat?" he asked, still holding my arm. "We have a good selection of Coke products."

"Um, water, please," I said, nodding.

"Are you sure? Like I said before, we have a variety of Coke products and natural juices," he added and smiled.

"No, water is fine," I said, looking away from him. "I only want water."

"OK, I'll be right back." He said and turned around, but halted and came back to where I sat. "Don't go anywhere, please." He said, pleading with his brown eyes. "Don't leave without saying goodbye,"

"I won't," I laughed and waited for him to bring my water. He came back holding a tall glass with ice cold water and smiled dreamingly at another waitress that was clearing a nearby table. He stumbled and poured the water on my lap. I jumped in my seat, startled and reached for the napkins.

"Sorry," the young waiter said and handed me the rag clothe that he held on his apron. "Here, take this to dab yourself."

"It's fine," I said, taking the towel. "It's just water. I'll dry up soon." I was irritated, how horrible could my day get? Apparently, worst with every second that passed by. "I can do it myself." I said, when he tried to help me.

"Sorry," he said apologetic and raked his fingers through his hair and then looked over to the waitress that observed everything that transpired. "She's going to think that I'm an idiot."

"You aren't an idiot," I said, dabbing my jeans with the piece of clothe he'd handed me. "You are just a klutz. Why don't you just ask her out?"

"Excuse me?" he asked confused. "What are you talking about? I don't like anyone… I don't want to ask her out."

"Yeah, sure," I said and stood up. "I should leave. I need to get home before something terrible happens to me." I took one step, but he stopped me. "Yes?"

"I didn't get your name," he asked, looking down at me.

"Oh, sorry. My name is Sunshine." I extended my hand for him to shake. He grabbed it and shook it. "What's yours?"

"Sunshine?" he mumbled and chuckled. "Sunshine? For real?"

"Yes, is there a problem with my name?" I snapped, placing my hand on my hip.

"No, it's different." He said, letting go of my hand. "I've never heard that name before."

"What's yours?"

"Jordan,"

"Nice to meet you, Jordan." I said, bobbing my head. "And thank you for fixing me up. I have to buy myself more pants, since I ripped them on the knees and now people are going to think that I peed my pants." I said, looking down at my legs.

"You don't have to thank me. It's nothing." He said, sitting down on the booth. "Why don't you seat down. Tell me something about yourself."

I looked down at him and glared at him. "I have to go."

"No, don't go yet. Just sit down. Drink your water. I'll keep you company." He said, his eyes darting to the same waitress that had finished cleaning the nearby table and was ambling back towards the kitchen. She turned her head slightly and rolled her eyes. "She's jealous." He muttered satisfied.

"You want to use me to make your girlfriend jealous?" I said, flopping on the booth and took a sip of my water and relaxed against the back of the booth. "Well, if I'm going to stay. You better feed me." I said haughtily.

"OK," he nodded, his eyes fixed on the door that led to the kitchen. "Tell me about yourself." He said, his eyes falling on my face.

"What would you like to know?"

"How old are you?" he asked, leaning forward. "You seem like you would know about girls like Daisy."

"Fifteen," I said, shrugging. "And who is Daisy? And how old are you?"

"I'm thirteen years old," he said, blushing. "I sort of hit a growth spurt a few weeks ago and experienced some changes." He said, looking down at his hands. "And Daisy is that waitress that you saw me staring at. She's the girl- forget it." He paused and played with the napkin dispenser. "She doesn't pay attention to me, because I got real tall. She's older than me." He sighed irritated. "I wish I'd stayed shorter. I just grew out of the blue and my voice changed. I'm the tallest kid in my class."

"I've seen those types of changes." I said nonchalantly. "My brother grew tall and experienced many changes – similar to yours."

"I hate it, but," he paused and traced lines on the table with his index finger. "But, it's part of my heritage." He chuckled sadly. "It's part of who I am. You know?"

"I guess," I said, staring puzzled at him. Was he telling me that he'd phased? That was the only explanation to his sudden change and growth. I remembered Adam's experience. It'd been tough on him, but oh, well. I wasn't going to tell him that I might know what he was talking about.

"At least you grew tall and look older than kids your age," I said, pushing the water away from me. "You can intimate the kids at your school." I shrugged. "And even ask Daisy out."

"Right," he laughed, nodding. "She won't notice me."

An uncomfortable silence fell upon us and I shifted on my seat. I watched as Jordan stared around the room and arched his eyebrow. I knew that this guy reminded me so much of Caleb. They had to be related. It wasn't coincidence that every gesture he made reminded me of my Caleb.

"Do you have any brothers?" I asked intrigued.

"Why the sudden interest?" Jordan asked curious. "Have you met any of my brothers?" he asked, resting his elbows on the table and placed his head in his hands.

I shook my head and looked away. "No. I was just curious. You sort of remind me of someone. Forget I even asked you." I said, getting up from the booth. "I should get going. My grandparents must be worried about me."

"Where do they live?" he asked, standing up too. He towered over me and stared down at me with a frown on his forehead.

"They live in La Push," I said, looking out the door. "I sort of left their house without asking their permission." I said remorsefully. "I'm the worst granddaughter."

"If you wait a few minutes more," he paused and looked over the register. "Ugh! There's my old man glaring at us." He said embarrassed. "Dude, he's like constantly watching me. He's afraid that I'm going to flip and hur- and let's just say that he's annoying."

"He must love you," I said, turning to face his line of vision. "My Dad is the same way."

"He loves me too much," he said annoyed. "After my brothers- forget it. What I was saying before was… um, if you wait a bit longer. I can take the bus to La Push with you. It's sort of dangerous to travel alone." He said, scratching the back of his head nervously. "There are many strange people wandering around Forks and La Push."

"I don't know," I said, looking at his father. "Are you sure that's alright with your father. I don't want you getting in trouble. You are still a minor… no matter how tall and old you look." I smiled. "They are still your parents."

"Ha Ha Ha," he said, shaking his head. "I'll ask him. Just don't go."

"I won't,"

"Then sit down and wait for me, please," he said, spinning around and trudged over to his father. I sat down and watched as the two of them exchanged words. I noticed that his father was glaring at my direction. Jordan looked back to where I sat and I pretended to be looking somewhere else.

I veered my head to the opposite direction and saw Daisy staring daggers at me. I waved at her and I swear that I heard her say 'fuck off', but that could've been my imagination. OK, not really, but it's good to give her the benefit of the doubt.

"OK," Jordan said, when returned to the table. "It's been solved. I get out in twenty minutes. You should order something to eat in the meantime. You need food. You are way too skinny." He said, handing me a menu. "The pulled pork is great."

"I don't eat meat," I said, staring down at the menu.

"Yes, I should've known. Are your parents' hippy?" he asked, tilting his head to the side in a mocking fashion. I shook my head and snatched the menu out of his hand. "Your name suits you perfectly." He joked. "Sunshine the animal lover, I bet."

"Hey," I said irritated. "Why don't you mock that waitress' name… Daisy? Her name is as hippy as Sunshine." I said curtly.

"So," he ignored me and straightened his back. "What are you ordering? I'll make sure that your order gets made faster." He said, winking at me as he sat across from me. I shook my head and glanced at the menu. "I promise."

"I'll have a Black Bean soup," I said, handing him the menu.

"Good choice," he said teasingly. "I'll be back with your order."

Twenty minutes later, Jordan returned with my order. He told me to wait until it got colder, because he didn't want me to get burned. I nodded and glanced at the steam that came off the bowl.

"I will get out in like twenty minutes more, can you wait for me?" he asked, his forehead creasing, as he stared down at me. I jumped startled and nodded. "I'm sorry to startle you. I was just… just wait twenty more minutes and I promise that I'll be out soon."

"Well, before you leave… Why is your father glaring at me? He's been scowling since you left to get my food." I said, pointing at the tall figure that stood by the register, shaking his head in disappointment at Jordan. "He's been glaring at us for a while."

"That's my old man. Too overprotective of me," Jordan said, running his hand through his short hair. "Don't mind him. He's old and well, old people are strange."

"Oh, you won't get in trouble because of me?" I nodded, grabbing my spoon. "And that Daisy, she seems to be staring daggers at me. Are you two dating? Are you using me to make her jealous?" I asked puzzled.

"No, I'm not and I don't think that my Dad dislikes you. So, don't worry." He said, patting my shoulder. "Enjoy your meal, Sunshine,"

"Um, thanks."

"For real, your name is Sunshine?" he asked incredulously.

"Yes, that's my name." I said, twirling the straw in the drink. "I don't know what possessed my mother to name that." I laughed airily. "But I like it. It's who I am." I said sadly, as I recalled Caleb whispering my name as we kissed.

"For real? Can that really be a name?" He asked, smiling brightly. "At least they didn't name you Rain or Meadow." He grinned. "That would really be a little too much. Do you have more siblings named Love, Happy or – um, Joy?" he teased, as he smiled contently.

"Or Daisy," I jested.

"Yeah," he paused to look at Daisy. "Or Daisy," he whispered dreamily.

His smile was so familiar to me. Caleb's smile filled my head and I felt my heart leap in my chest, when I thought of him. Being around Jordan brought many memories of the man that I was trying to forget. I clutched at the edge of the table and flinched, when the pain of my scraped hands registered in my head.

"Are you alright?" he asked worriedly.

"Yes," I nodded, lowering my head. "I was just thinking of-" I said dejectedly.

"Jordan," Daisy interrupted. "Your Mom wants you to help out in the kitchen." She said, forcing a smile.

"It's my break, Daisy," he sighed, pretending to be irritated. "Can you tell her that I'm resting for a few minutes?"

"Nope," Daisy said, shaking her head. "Hi," she said, turning to me. "I'm Daisy. I'm this bozo's friend." She said sweetly. "Are you two dating?" she asked, faking politeness.

"Hi, Daisy," I said. I stared at Jordan and watched as he smiled longingly at her. "I'm Sunshine and I'm just visiting this part of town. I just met Jordan. He was nice enough to help me."

"Oh, for real?" Daisy said, and gestured Jordan to scoot over. "Where are you from?" she asked interested. "How did he help you?"

"I'm from La Push. I was born there, but a few years ago, we moved to Sequim. And he helped me bandage my scrapes and cuts." I said, lifting my hands so she could see my bandages.

"Ouch," Daisy grinned. "That must have hurt. So, Sequim? I have family there."

"Nice," I muttered and stared at Jordan. He was rolling his eyes at Daisy's words, as he muttered, 'she's jealous' and I couldn't help laugh. It reminded me of Caleigh, Byron Adam and I. We remained talking and having a fun time, but Daisy and Jordan had to return to their work, when Jordan's mom stepped out of the kitchen and reprimanded him with her eyes.

"I should get going," Jordan chuckled. "My mom is scary at times." He laughed.

"It's true," Daisy laughed as she stood up. "I'll see you around. We should definitely hang out later."

"Oh, alright," I said happily. "Before I leave, I'll give you my phone number." I said and waved at them as they walked away.

I looked at my bowl of soup and tried a spoonful, but it was still hot. I watched the other clients eating their food in comfortable silence and sighed, waiting for my food to cool down enough to eat.

"Caleb," I muttered, when my heart began to fill heavy and contrite.

I couldn't understand why I felt this way. I knew that I'd decided to forget Caleb, but it was hard. Everything around me reminded me of him. I stared at Jordan working, and he waved at me. His smile reminded me of a happy Caleb, except that he never had a happy life. I wanted so bad to be the source of his happiness, but that was never going to happen. I was deep in thought, that I didn't see the blond woman standing beside me.

"Honey," she said in a sweet voice. I looked up and held my breath. She was breathtaking, with deep blue eyes that reminded me of the ocean. Her summer dress fitted snuggly against her curvy body, making me feel so self-conscious.

"Yes?" I asked puzzled.

"Would it be too much trouble if I ask you to move to another booth or table?" she asked, pouting her red lips and adjusting the straps of her purse higher on her shoulder. "You see, my boyfriend doesn't like tables… only booths." She smiled widely. "We've been arguing all morning and I would like to please him as much as I can. I don't like it when we argue."

"Um, well, you see. My bowl of soup is hot and I was here first," I said, looking around the room. "Where is he, anyways?"

"Oh," the blond woman said, tossing her shiny blond hair over her shoulder and turning to face my line of direction. "He's parking our rental." She giggled. "We came here to visit some friends and I seriously hate this place, but he seems to like it. I have to be supportive, right? You won't know. You are just a baby." She said, smiling hypocrite at me. "So, are you going to move?"

"What? Why are you telling me this?" I said, casting my eyes downward to avoid eye contact. "It's none of my business if you two are arguing." I said irritated.

"I figured you wouldn't understand," she shrugged and flop in the seat across from me. "So, can you be a dear and move to another table? It would mean the world to me." she asked, blinking her heavily mascara eyelashes. "Please,"

"Um, sure, let me-" I said, gathering my purse and my bowl of soup. "Just give me a minute to move."

"Oh, you are a dear," she said and clapped contently. "Oh, there he is!" she said.

"Who?" I asked and looked around. I felt the strange pull from the other day. It was soft, churning of my stomach as if my body knew what was going to happen next.

"My boyfriend. Over there," she said, pointing towards the door. "Isn't he handsome?" she asked me, patting my arm. "He's so damn hot!" she muttered, a sensual smile on her lips.

I whipped my head and felt the air exit my lungs. The blood rushed to my face and my hands went numb, when I saw him. It was my Caleb Call. I looked back at the blond female and now I comprehended why I felt such an aberration towards her. She was the cause of my misfortune; because of her I didn't have my soul mate with me.

"He's your boyfriend?" I asked perplexed.

"Yes, sweetie," she said proudly. "You can tell me how handsome he is."

Caleb was ambling towards us. He stopped in the middle of the room and glanced from the blond female and then at me. I dropped the bowl of soup on the floor and yelled in agony. The hot liquid landed on my sandals and shards of the broken bowl did too.

"I'm sorry," I said, my eyes focused on Caleb and then at Jordan. "I'll pay for it." I sobbed, kneeling down to pick up the piece of broken glass. I held back my tears and reached over the table to grab some napkins. _How miserable could I be?_ I tried wiping the soup off my pants and sandals, but it was useless. The tears began to fall and I felt so infinitesimal in front of Caleb. "I'm such a klutz." I smiled sadly. "I should leave!"

"Sunshine," Jordan and Caleb said at the same time, as they both ran to my aid.

Jordan was the first one to reach me. He grabbed his dish towel and began cleaning my pants and sandals. He helped me stand up and gently scooped me in his arms and rushed me to another chair.

"Are you alright?" he asked, inspecting my injuries.

I nodded, closing my eyes, trying to avoid staring at Caleb or his girlfriend. "Yes,"

"Are you sure?" he asked worriedly. "Look at me, please," he said. "Are you alright?" I nodded and looked away from him.

"I was just startled. I'll pay for the dish." I said, brushing my tears with the sleeve of my shirt. "Ugh! I'm such-"

"Are you alright?" the blond lady asked worriedly. "Do you need us to take you to the hospital?" she asked and looked down at my pants and shook her head. "What happened to you? You look like you've been mugged. Caleb, dear, we should take her to the hospital, sweetie."

"Yes," Caleb said and pushed Jordan away from me. "I can take care of her. I'll drive her to the hospital."

"It's fine," Jordan gritted, pushing him back. "She's my friend and I can take care of her." He said, looking up at Caleb who was slightly taller than him. "We don't need you. We never did and I think that you should go back to hell, Caleb." Jordan seethed.

"I'm fine," I said, glancing over at Caleb. He stared at me with disbelief. "I should get going. My grandparents must be worried about me."

"No," Caleb said, moving passed them. "I'll drive you back to your house." He said protectively. "You aren't safe, if you aren't with me." He said seriously. "Move out of the way, idiot." Caleb threatened.

"What?" his girlfriend said, as she glared at me. "What the hell are you saying, Caleb?"

He ignored her and moved Jordan's arm away from me. "Move out of the way," he commanded. "I'll take her with me."

"I'm not going anywhere with you," I said and jerked away from him. "I can walk on my own two feet. I don't need you or anything from you. Pay attention to your girlfriend."

"Caleb," The blond girl said, touching Caleb's arm. "What the hell is going on? Why are you so protective of this girl? We just met her…"

"Marissa," Caleb said irritated. "Let me-"

Jordan got in between us and pulled me in his arms protectively. "Come on, Sunshine. I'll ask my father to take us to the hospital. I don't need this idiot to help us. He's a coward." Jordan spat.

"What the fuck do you think you are doing with my Sunshine?" Caleb hissed, pushing Jordan.

Jordan held me securely against him and growled. "She's not fucking yours. Why don't you attend your girlfriend?"

"Buddy, watch your tone with me!" Caleb barked, standing in front of me and pushed Jordan on the chest, causing me to jerk next to Jordan's chest. "You don't know who the fuck I am and what I can do to you."

"I speak the way that I fucking want!" Jordan shouted furiously, as he began to tremble. "Don't fucking make me… beat you up." He said through clenched teeth.

Caleb was also growling, his fists were clenched on his side. "Just try me, buddy." He said cynically. "Just try me,"

He moved forward, but stopped. "Enough!"

"Dad, I could've taken him," Jordan barked at his father. "This idiot here want-"

"Is your brother," Jordan's father said, as he looked from Jordan, Caleb, Marissa and then at me.

Great! This day couldn't get any more stranger and depressing!

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**AN: Confused? Well, recap here! Jordan is Caleb's younger brother. He was born after Caleb left La Push. He's thirteen years old, but he phased, due to a new clan of vampires that is in the vicinity. More on them later. And no, Jordan didn't imprint on Daisy. He likes her and is infatuated with her, but she isn't into him. Marissa is also in this chapter, she's not bad or good. She's your typical girl that dates a hottie and thinks that she owns the rarest gem in the world. There's going to be more on her breakup with Caleb later on. Jordan is just going to be a good friend for Sunshine. There's nothing romantic between them. Also, Marie Black is making a comeback, too.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Tangled In This Love**

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A****N: I have placed pictures of the characters in this story in my profile. They aren't exactly as I see them, but they are pretty close. Caleb Call and Marie Black are like totally my favorite. I hope that you like this chapter. I love you all and I need help with my other story. I lost my thumb drive and can't update. If you have any suggestion regarding the story, I'm all ears. **

Mercury Serenity

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**Time of Reasoning**

_Caleb's POV_

I left Marissa in front of the small deli that was on Main St. I didn't want to go there, but she pressured me and I just gave in and accepted it. I didn't feel like arguing with her. She'd complained of not liking the hotel food and wanted something that was more home-style made. I agreed, because I was also hungry and needed some distraction. I tried hard to sleep the night before, but it was useless. My thoughts carried me to Sunshine. Things from now on were going to change and I needed to think things through. I had to do a complete 180°. My life needed to change and I had to start thinking of my happiness.

As I parked the car, I found myself questioning what she was doing. Was she happy now that I wasn't in her life? Did she need me? Could she feel what I was feeling?

I needed her so much. I blamed those seven hours that I spent with her the previous day. I fell in love with the kindness and boldness of her heart. She was amazing and to think that she'd been made for me. I also blame the kiss that she gave me. Because that kiss awoken all my desires and now I needed her more than the air that I breathed. I blame myself for running out of her life ten years ago. I blame only myself, because it had been my past decisions that placed me in this situation.

I parked the car rental in the back parking lot and sauntered over to the deli. The second my feet touched the ground, I felt my heartbeats go erratic. I looked around, hoping to find my princess, but she was nowhere in sight. I continued walking to the deli and opened the door and received a warm greeting from one of the waitress. That's when my world lost its balance and I was falling. I smelled her strawberry-lemon scent and I heard her voice. My eyes settle on her and the pull that beckoned me to her increased. I couldn't fight it or ignore it. My soul only craved one thing and it was her.

I heard Marissa speaking to someone and for some unfathomable reason. My heart leaped inside my chest and my feet guided me to the middle of the room. I started scanning the place, searching for her. I knew that it was Sunshine. It had to be her, because a feeling inside me told me that it was her. She was my world and nothing mattered, except her. She had to feel the same way I felt, because she turned around and our eyes met. She quickly looked away.

Her eyes held pain. I was responsible for the dejected expression that graced her face. I felt the tug in my chest, and when her eyes settled on me again, I feared that I'd lost her forever. She would never forgive me. I probably lost her. She probably thought that I'd slept with Marissa and would remain beside her.

"Sunshine," I whispered.

Her eyes opened widely and the bowl that she held in her hands fell and the hot liquid landed on her feet. I looked down at her feet and saw shards of the bowl had punctured the skin above her left foot. I rushed to her side, when the scent of blood filled the room, but someone beat me. He was tall and in a swift movement, he swept her in his arms and walked to another table and gently placed her on a chair. He examined her carefully.

My anger began to flair. It should've been me the person that cared for her. The kid grabbed a rag clothe and began cleaning the soup and blood that was on her clothes and pants.

"Are you alright?" he asked worriedly, as he searched her face. I felt my blood boiling with anger. Who the hell he thought she was? She was mine!

Sunshine nodded, avoided eye contact with me. "Yes," she whispered. I could smell the salt of her tears and there was nothing that I wanted to do more than caress her face and kiss away her pain.

"Are you sure?" the kid asked worriedly. "Look at me, please," he said. "Are you alright?" Sunshine nodded and stared at him, as she forced a smile.

"I was just startled. I'll pay for the dish." She said softly, brushing her tears with the sleeve of her shirt. "Ugh! I'm such-"

"Are you alright?" Marissa asked worriedly, as she moved closer to where they were. "Do you need us to take you to the hospital?" she asked from behind me. "What happened to you? You look like you've been mugged. Caleb, dear, we should take her to the hospital, sweetie."

"Yes," I said and pushed the guy away from Sunshine. "I can take care of her. I'll drive her to the hospital."

"It's fine," the kid gritted, pushing me back with his shoulder. He was set on not letting go of my angel. "She's my friend and I can take care of her." He said, looking up at me, since I was taller than him. I stared at him and for a second, I saw Emerson's face, but the anger that was slowly seething inside me, took over my curiosity. "We don't need you. We never did and I think that you should go back to hell, Caleb." He said enraged.

_How the hell, did he know my name?_ I thought angrily, but ignored my own question.

His words caught me off guard, but then Sunshine's gaze fell on me and I became the protective monster that I was. "I'm fine," she said, glancing over at me. I just stared at her in disbelief. I knew that she was lying. "I should get going. My grandparents must be worried about me." She said, smiling wearily behind her tears.

"No," I said, moving passed them. "I'll drive you back to your house." I hissed protectively. "You aren't safe, if you aren't with me." I said seriously. "Move out of the way, idiot."

"What?" Marissa said, from behind me, as she clutched at my arm. "What the hell are you saying, Caleb?"

I jerked my arm away from her clutch and ignored her and moved the kid's arm away from my princess. "Move out of the way," I commanded. "I'll take her with me."

"I'm not going anywhere with you," Sunshine said and yanked herself away from me. "I can walk on my own two feet. I don't need you or anything from you. Pay attention to your girlfriend." She said curtly.

Her words hurt me. I knew that I deserved them, but I wasn't going to let that stop me from taking her to the hospital. I was going to make sure that she was alright.

"Caleb," Marissa said, touching my arm. "What the hell is going on? Why are you so protective of this girl? We just met her…" she trailed off.

"Marissa," I gritted in irritation. "Let me-"

Sunshine's friend got in between us and pulled her in his arms protectively. "Come on, Sunshine. I'll ask my father to take us to the hospital. I don't need this idiot to help us. He's a coward." He spat, his brown eyes glaring at me_. _

_Why did he hate me? Did he know who I was? Was he her boyfriend?_

"What the fuck do you think you are doing with my Sunshine?" I asked angrily, pushing the kid with enough force to shake him, but careful enough not to hurt Sunshine.

He was strong. Perhaps a newly phased pup, because he still didn't have control over his temper. He could easily hurt my Sunshine. He held on to her and growled.

"She's not fucking yours. Why don't you attend your girlfriend?"

"Buddy, watch your tone with me!" I barked, standing in front of him and Sunshine. I pushed him with one hand, but it only caused him to tighten his hold on my princess. She hid her face in his chest and I knew that I was scaring her, but she needed to know that I needed her. This was my attempt to steal her from his arm and make her stay beside me. I wanted to tell her that I was so sorry for walking out of her life in such a cowardly manner. She needed to know that I did love her and I was going to fix all the mistakes that I've made in the past. I was turning a new leaf. "You don't know who the fuck I am and what I can do to you."

"I speak the way that I fucking want!" He shouted furiously and began to tremble. I was afraid that he was going to hurt my angel. "Don't fucking make me… beat you up." He threatened.

I was beyond pissed. My hands were clenched on my sides. I was ready to pound the shit of this idiot. He didn't know who the fuck he was messing with. He held in his hands my life, my precious Sunshine and I wasn't going down without a fight. I would kill if I had to, just to protect her and keep her safe.

"Just try me, buddy." He said scathingly. "Just try me,"

I took a step forward, but stopped. My eyes must've been deceiving me, because behind the jerk that held my Sunshine, stood the familiar face of my father. His face was as I last remembered it: the frown on his forehead, the pursed lips and the anger that always seemed to be directed at me.

"Enough!" Dad said, his eyes resting on me.

"Dad, I could've taken him," The kid said. I looked from Sunshine, then to my father and his eyes answered my question. "This idiot here want-"

"Is your brother," Dad told him, his eyes softening as he stared at the kid that was supposed to be my brother.

I backed away. I wasn't going to hurt a brother of mine. I stared at the kid and finally understood why I saw Emerson in him. I saw in him many of my parents' features. For example, my mother's eyes, nose and color of his skin and my father's jaw. He really was my brother.

"Caleb," Dad said, walking over to us. He stood protectively in front of his youngest son and shielded him. "Don't hurt your brother." He said solemnly.

"He's not my brother!" the kid said, as he frowned at me. "He left and made my mother suffer. He doesn't deserve to be called my brother."

"Put me down, please," Sunshine said. "Please, Jordan, put me down." She pleaded.

So, his name is Jordan. I felt nostalgia, because Emerson's middle name was Jordan. I watched as he placed Sunshine on the floor and stood beside her tenderly. He placed his hand on her shoulder and looked down at her. She smiled favorably at him and I could see the tears streaming down her face. I didn't know what to do. I wanted to scoop her in my arms and hold her for an eternity. I didn't like seeing her cry, not even tears of happiness. She needed me, as I needed her. I could feel it. I felt her pain and the desire to be closed to me. I was crazy without her. It took me long enough to understand that I was tangled in this love and I really didn't want to let go of her. I didn't deserve her, but I was willing to fight for her, yes, to make her understand that I could be worthy of her.

"We should go somewhere else to speak in private," Dad said and stared at Sunshine. "You should call your parents or grandparents to come and get you." He said harshly. "You don't need to be concerned in my family's affair."

Sunshine took a step back and lowered her head. "I was leaving," she whispered, tottering away from Jordan. "I'm sorry for any inconvenience I've caused you. I'm sorry for any pain my family has caused you, Mr. Call. I'm really sorry." She said and turned on her heels and began walking away.

"Sunshine, wait," I said, walking past my brother and my father. "Wait." I pleaded, but she didn't stop. She held her chin high and limped towards the door. I caught up with her and took her hand and a sob escaped her lips. I kissed her forehead and pressed her closer to me. "Come, you are my family." I said softly.

She shook her head and looked away. "I'm not. He'll never accept me. We- ugh! Just let me go." She said, pulling her arm away.

"No," I said sternly, sweeping her in my arms and brought her back to where my father, Jordan and Marissa stood. "You have every right to be here, beside me…" I said, looking down at her. "You know that you do. You are my imprint. My heart is yours- my life is in your hands. If our parents can't see it… then fuck them. I love you." I said, kissing her cheek.

"No, I don't belong with you," she said, covering her face in her hands, as she sniveled.

"Please, listen to me," I begged, but she looked away and stared at Marissa.

"I'm sorry," she said in an apologetic tone. "Caleb, please, put me down,"

"No," I said annoyed and tightened my hold on her. I turned to face a very confused Marissa and sighed. "Marissa, you might think that this is strange and it is from your perspective. I can't give you the full details of what's happening right now… but I love Sunshine. I can't be with you anymore. I cared for you, and I am grateful for the wonderful years you gave me… but, I- I've never loved you. What I said last night is the truth. I can't be with you… I don't belong with you. I can't give this relationship another chance, because I can't be with you. I'm not the person that you need. We've been growing distant and I want to let you go. I'm in love with someone else and I don't think that is fair to deny my heart the chance to love and be loved. I know that I don't deserve your forgiveness and I do apologize for hurting you. Here," I said, holding Sunshine with one arm and with my free hand, searched my pocket and handed Marissa the keys to the hotel and the car rental. "I just can't- I'm sorry. I have to help her." I said remorseful. "It was never my intention to hurt you. You won't understand it, but she needs me and I need her so much." I said repentantly, leaning my forehead against Sunny's.

"She's your imprint?" Jordan asked furiously.

"Why?" Marissa sobbed softly. "I don't understand what I did wrong. Why are you breaking my heart like this, Caleb?"

"You really are the worst," Jordan said furiously. "You don't care about other people."

"Calm down, Jordan. You'll understand someday," Dad said and nodded at me. "We can talk later. Go do what you have to do. We have a lot to talk about."

"No, Caleb." Marissa said, as she tugged at Sunshine's blouse. "She's not worthy. She's a stupid kid that is taking advantage of you. I know how kind you can be! Don't go. We can make our relationship work." She said. I pried her away from Sunshine's blouse and took a step away.

"Don't touch her," I said angrily. "Don't ever lay a hand on Sunshine. She's precious and innocent. Don't talk if you don't know her." I said furiously.

Marissa stepped back, wiping her tears with a napkin. "We," she whispered and noticed that the costumers' eyes were on us. "What about me?" Marissa said sadly. "What about me, Caleb? You know that I love you. So, what if you kissed her and felt something for her. We leave to Chicago on Monday morning, we can leave this in the past. It'll be like nothing happened, baby. You can forget her. I can help you forget her…" she said, touching my arms. "Please, return to me. I love you. She's just a little slut that-"

"She's not a slut. She's a good girl. She is respectful, wonderful, kind, bold and amazing. And how do you know that we kissed?" I asked her confused.

"I looked in your phone and saw the picture where you are kissing her," she wept. "I know that you were with her last night. I'll forgive you, but, please," she said, pulling my arm towards her. Sunshine looked down at the floor and I noticed her shoulders rising up and down as she cried despondently.

"I'm sorry, Marissa. I have made my decision." I said, looking down at Sunshine. "I found my way back home," I smiled down at her and when she smiled at me, I felt the sun shining brightly. "I can't," I said, holding Sunshine tighter.

"I can't hurt her," Sunshine said.

She tried to break away from my hold, but I held her closed to my heart.

"I can't live without you, Sunshine. I promise to never hurt you." I whispered next to her ear. She shrugged and tried to move away, but I was already walking out of my parents' establishment. "I love you so much." I said, kissing her chin and cheeks. "I won't let you go."

"She's hurting," Sunshine whispered sadly and looked back at the deli. "I don't want her to hurt because of me."

"I know," I nodded. "I couldn't help it. We don't belong together. I belong with you, angel. I thought that I was losing you. I can't be away from you. I need you so much."

"I feel so guilty," she confessed, resting her head on my chest.

I walked her to the bus stop and to my luck, the bus was turning on the corner. I didn't want Marissa to continue begging me to stay beside her. I thought that last night's conversation was clear. I told her that I didn't love her. I confessed to her that I needed to be away from her and that our relationship ended that night. I thought she understood, but when she woke up the next morning, it was like nothing happened. She continued treating me like we were still together.

"I'll take you to the hospital." I said, whispering in her ear. "Please, don't fight me anymore." I pleaded.

She remained quiet and cried, as she looped her arm around my neck, hiding her face on the nape of my neck. "I won't fight this anymore," she whispered, kissing my chin. "I won't fight you anymore."

We got in the bus and it took us to the hospital. I carried her into the ER and after an hour, she was seen by a doctor and thankfully, her injuries weren't that bad. She got a tetanus shot, her cuts were bandaged and the doctor prescribed Motrin for the pain. We walked back to the bus stop and waited for the bus.

"She's pretty," Sunshine whispered, as we waited for the bus. "You must've loved her a lot in the past."

"I cared for her," I said, without looking at her. "I never loved Marissa." I confessed.

She looked at me and leaned her head on my shoulder. "Did you know that Jordan was your brother?" she asked intrigued. "He's a wolf too, right? I knew that he was related to you. He looks a lot like you."

"Yeah," I nodded. "He smelled like a wolf and I could tell that he had to be related to me, but I didn't give it too much thought. I had to get you to the doctor. I didn't want your cuts to get infected."

"He's nice," she whispered, ignoring me. "He helped me a lot."

"If you say so," I said nonchalantly and continued looking at the road ahead. "Do you like him, Sunshine?" I said jealously, crossing my arm over my chest.

"He's nice," she repeated and inhaled. "But I don't like him. I told you yesterday who I love. I'm not an indecisive little girl. I know what I want and I want you." She said firmly.

"I see," I smiled, wrapping my arms around her. I sat her on my lap and kissed her cheek. "You love me."

"I do," she said, smiling softly. Her smile died on her lips and she sighed frustrated. "Your dad hates me," she paused. "I was in their deli and your mother gave me the evil eye… so did Embry." She said unhappily. "They hate me for what happened between your brother and my uncle. Maybe we weren't never meant to be together." She said, sitting straight, facing me. "Maybe you and I should stop this and just go our separate ways." She said, turning her head to face the road.

I cupped her face in my hand and forced her to look at me. "You are sounding like indecisive little girl. Don't ever say that. Don't ever tell me that we weren't meant to be together. Do you know what you are asking of me when you saying? You are practically killing me, woman. If I wasn't meant to be with you… then I rather be dead."

"Don't be so dramatic, sugar queen." she shrugged. "You did it once and managed to live fine without me. You finished high school, got a career and fell in love with Marissa. How difficult can it be?"

"Difficult," I confessed. "It's difficult. I don't want to go through that again."

"I'm going to have to try. Our families don't want us together," she wept.

"Then we fight for our love," I said, cupping her face in my hands. I scanned her face and saw pain hiding behind her honeyed eyes. "We'll fight for this love together, Sunshine.

"I'm scared. I don't want to feel so dejected all the time. I don't want to think about my heart breaking every time you are near me. You hurt me more than anyone in the world. You are supposed to be my salvation, but all you do is hurt me. Promise me here, Caleb, that you'll love me and never hurt me."

"I'm sorry that I've hurt you," I whispered. "It's never been my intention to make you suffer. I promise that I'll never make you cry. I'll make it up to you. Damn it, don't say that you want to be without me. I'm breaking inside when I hear you say that. Sunny, I love you. I won't hurt you again. Let me prove to you that I can make you happy. I'll be what I was meant to be - your soul mate."

I brought my lips closer to her, tasting the saltiness of her tears mixed with the hope that tomorrow was bringing healing and the promise of a better day.

"Caleb," she paused. "Just hold me, please."

"OK," I said helplessly, kissing her softly on the lip. "I'll hold you forever, Sunshine."

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AN: The way he broke up with Marissa was a little harsh, wasn't it? I really don't care. She didn't understand what he'd told her the previous night. She dismissed his words and now has to pay the price. Also, he did it that way, because he thought he was losing Sunshine. He became desperate and did what he thought would salvage their relationship.


	9. Chapter 9

**Tangled In This Love**

AN: I hope that you like it. I've been on a serious writer's block for the last few days, but thankfully, you like this chapter. I've been writing the next chapter so I can post them on the same week. R&R, please!

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**Plans**

_Sunshine's POV_

I had to inhale deeply, because my breath got caught in my throat. On the ride back to La Push, I began to put the pieces together. Everything was starting to make sense again. But still, I couldn't believe that this was happening to me. He told me that he loved me. He told me that I was his world in front of many people. He'd confessed and I could tell in his kisses and in the way he held me tightly, close to his heart, that he did love me.

I couldn't help staring at him. We'd stopped in another bus stop and talked comfortably about what had happened. I couldn't keep my hands still. I was nervous. Everything was progressing so fast and I had very little time to analyze the situation. I trusted my heart in his hands. I wanted him to lead the way. I would follow him. He knew that I was serious about this relationship. I wanted to grow older and spend the rest of my life beside him. I stared at him and caressed his cheek. It was unbelievable. He wanted me. He'd told me that he loved me. It was still hard to believe, because the previous night, I'd cried myself to sleep thinking that I had to give up on him. But destiny proved me wrong once again.

"What are you thinking about?" he asked, kissing my forehead.

"I can't believe that you are mine," I said with disbelief, caressing his arm. "You are mine. You are mine," I tilted my head to the side and smiled timidly. "You are completely mine, Caleb."

"I'm all yours," he chuckled, licking his lips sensually, as he stroke my face lovingly. "I'm completely yours. I love you so much. I can't imagine a life without you. Sunnygirl," he paused, placing a finger under my chin and tilted my face to him. He slowly closed the gap between our faces, until his lips were mere inches away. "You have to understand that I was afraid of losing you. I'm not an inconsiderate bastard, love. I told her that I wanted to end our relationship. I was honest with her. I didn't want to end my relationship with Marissa in such a sour note. I told her last night- I thought that I was going to lose you when you began to walk away. You were taking my life in your hands. I couldn't lose you. I can't-"

I kissed his lips. I didn't want to hear what had happened in the past. I was dying to taste the honey of his satiny lips. I dug my fingers in his hair and kissed him slowly, bringing my chest closer to him. He slowly sat me on his lap and we continued kissing. I couldn't let go. He tasted like sin, love and happiness mixed together.

"We shouldn't kiss like that," he said breathlessly.

"Why not?"

"There are people staring," he said, his cheek turning crimson. "We should reserve those kisses for a later time."

"I don't care anymore," I said against his lips. "Let's enjoy this moment. Don't you love me?"

"Yeah," he grinned sexily. "Of course I love you. Damn it, sweetie, you know that I'm crazy about you."

"Then prove it," I said daringly, and looped my arms around him and stared into his coffee brown eyes. "Why can't we kiss like we are in love?"

"Because," he sighed, slowly setting me beside him. "You are amazing, Sunshine. I don't want people to think horrible things about you. You are still innocent and pure. Let's take our time. We have a lifetime together. You are still young. Let's take our relationship one step at a time."

"For real, Caleb?" I sighed disappointed. "It's annoying. Caleigh and Michael kiss more, um, passionate. You and I aren't doing anything wrong, sweetie."

"No, I know. It's not that. I care about you. Let's take things slowly. Let's get to know each other."

"We are doing that," I pouted.

"Sun, please,"

"Fine, can we still kiss?"

"Yeah," he smiled and clasped my face in his hands and gave me a breathtaking kiss. "Was that good?"

I closed my eyes and nodded. "Great!" I smiled, but suddenly the realization of knowing that tomorrow he had to leave settled in. I knew that this happiness was going to be tested once again. I slowly touched his hand and leaned against it. "Now what? What do we do from here on?"

"What do you mean?"

"You leave tomorrow, right?"

"Let's not talk about that," he paused and stroked my face gently. "I don't want to talk about that now, please."

"We have to," I said dejectedly and touched his heart. His steady heartbeats gave me strength. I inhaled deeply and hugged him tightly. "I want to know what you are thinking of doing after you I'm gone."

"I don't know. You? What are you thinking?" I asked.

"About kissing you," he said against my hair and kissed the crown of my head. "I want to kiss you, until you are breathless."

"No, Caleb," I whined, pulling away from him. "This is serious. What are we going to do now that we are together?"

"Fine," he sighed and encircled my waist with his arms. "What do you think we should do? We should plan our lives together."

"I can't be selfish," I sighed. "I want you to stay beside me, but I know that you can't leave your job so abruptly. You need to – I don't know. I've never been in this situation."

"I can ask for a referral to a nearby company… probably in Seattle," he shrugged and looked at the road ahead. "I don't know. I have to ask. I do know that my company has an affiliated bank there," he said, deep in thought. "If I can, maybe I'll transfer there and that would be closer to La Push than Chicago, right?" he smiled. "We can make it work. It's still a few hours away from you… I can phase after work and come see you. I can spend the weekends here and leave late on Sunday. We can talk on the phone a lot. I'll probably have to buy you your own phone, because the bills are going to be – well, you know," he chuckled optimistically. "We can do this."

"No," I said, biting my lip.

"Why not?" he asked surprised. "You don't want me to be close to you?"

"No, that's not it. I want you near me. But I don't live in La Push. My family moved to Sequim after my parents decided to continue phasing." I said, staring up at his face.

"OK," he said relived. "So, you do want me to move near you, right?"

"Yes," I laughed. "What I meant to say earlier was that we might not be far away… from each other."

"I don't understand,"

"I mean," I paused and leaned my head on his arm. "I don't know if I told you this, but I play a killer violin."

"Yes, you told me yesterday."

"OK, well, I applied to a school in Seattle. If I get in, we won't be apart for too long. I'm hoping to get in. They have an excellent music program." I said wishfully.

"You applied?" he said excitedly, kissing my lips. "Nice!" he whispered against my mouth and continued pressing his lips to mine. I touched his face and nipped at his bottom lip and smiled. "When are you going to play the violin for me?"

"You want me to play the violin for you?" I asked baffled. He kissed the tip of my nose and smiled.

"Yes, silly," he smiled.

"Oh, ok." I said shyly. "How about tonight. I brought my violin. It's at my grandparents' house. I can play for you later."

"I like that very much,"

"I do too," I smiled, gnawing at my lip.

"Sunny,"

"Yes," I said, as he pulled me closer in a hug.

"In the mean time," he paused and inhaled. "I do have to go back to Chicago."

"I know," I nodded. "Does Marissa-"

"Marissa, what?"

"Does she live with you?" I asked jealously. "Did you two share a lot…?"

"No," he said quickly, as he pulled me away from him and searched my face. "We never lived together. I have my own place and she has hers. We dated, but it wasn't an exclusive relationship. I only shared a bit of my life with her. Why?"

"I'm just curious," I said, slightly moving away from him. "Did you guys have sex? Look, I'm jealous. I saw Marissa and she has a killer body. I'm barely showing," I laughed nervously, as I pointed at my chest. "I'm flat. Imprinting must really screw up with your eyes."

"Jealous?" he asked, as he looked straight into my eyes.

"Is that all you got from what I just told you? And yeah, I'm freaking jealous of her. She had you and slept with you and kissed you before I had a chance to. I'm freaking jealous."

"There's no need to be jealous. Though, you look pretty when you are jealous. And regarding the size of your chest… you'll grow into your skin, Sunshine. You are still young and your teenage years are awkward." He said understandingly.

"What if I don't?"

"I'll still love you." He said, kissing my cheek. "You are beautiful the way that you are. You are sweet, kind, gorgeous and the best part of you is that you were tailored made for me, Sunshine." He hugged me tenderly and peppered my face with gentle kisses. "I don't want to leave you." he said, squeezing me tightly. "You are so cute, princess."

"Me neither," I pouted. "I can't wait to have you back."

"You have me now, Sunny. Let's enjoy the time that we have together."

"Yeah," I mumbled and thought about how hard it was going to be away from him. My heart was already suffering with the knowledge of our impending separation. Yes, we were going to talk on the phone often, but it wasn't the same. There was a physical need to have him near me. In a matter of hours, my body got used to his warmth and touch. His hugs felt like warm blankets being draped over me. I felt safe. I've never felt so secure.

"I'll call you every night. I'll write every day. I'm crazy about you. I'll prove to you how much I care for you." He said seriously. "I won't return to Marissa. I promise you. I'll be with you soon. Promise to wait for me, please."

"I will." I nodded and felt my heart tighten. "I know that you won't return to Marissa. I'm just scared about what my parents will think of our relationship. I know that Dad is going to say that I'm too young and he'll forbid us from being together."

"He won't," he promised. "I'll fight for you. And if he does say that you are too young for me, then we can wait. I'll wait as long as I have to. If you want to go to college after graduating High School, I'll wait until you are finish. I'll wait, until you are ready to settle down next to me, Sunshine. Nothing will stop me from loving you."

"You don't have to wait that long," I said, shifting on my spot. "I'll be eighteen years old in two and a half year. We can move in together if you want to… after I finish high school."

"Move in together?" he said, arching a brow. "That sounds good."

"Yeah, it does," I nodded.

We got on the following bus and he piggyback walked me to my grandparents' house. My Mom's Subaru was parked outside and three other cars that I didn't know were parked in front of the house. I hugged Caleb's neck and rested my chin on his shoulder.

"Whose cars are those?" he asked curiously.

"My Mom's is the gold Subaru, but I don't know who the other two belong to."

"It smells like cotton candy and bleach," he said, as he sauntered over to the fence and walked in to the front yard. "There are vampires in your house."

"Cotton candy? Vampires?" I said, motioning him to put me down. "That must be my Aunt Savannah or Aunt Ary or Aunt Gigi!" I shouted excitedly, as I hopped up the cobblestone that led to the house with my good leg. "You have to meet my aunts! They are amazing."

"Your Aunts are vampires?" he asked confused.

I nodded and then shook my head. "Aunt Savannah is. She was turned into a vampire by her husband. She got pregnant with the twins."

"Twins?"

"Yes, Aunt Ary and Aunt Gigi! They are a mixture or something like that! But who cares? I haven't seen my aunts in such a long time! I hope that Uncle Harrison is also there!"

"Harrison Clearwater?"

"Yep," I nodded happily.

"Isn't he your cousin?" he chuckled. "So, this vampires are family. I'm still going to be protecting you. I don't want anything hurting you."

"Technically, he is, but I call him Uncle Harrison." I shrugged. "Come! My family is great! They are amazing. I want you to meet them!"

The moment we stepped into the porch, Caleb stopped me and covered me with his arms as he held me tightly, kissing me softly on the lips. "What was that for?" I said.

I stared up at his face and saw the hurt hidden behind his brown orbs. He shook his head and forced a weary smile at me. He continued holding me tightly and caressed my cheek with his. I felt like I was suffocating, when I heard the soft sobs escape his lips.

"My parents are here too." He whispered dejectedly and held on to me for support. "I'm sorry. I didn't know that this was going to happen, Sunshine." he said sadly.

I reached for his face and brushed the tears away from his cheeks. "What's wrong? Did you hear something, Caleb? Why are you crying?" I sniffled. "What's going on?"

"She's there too." He shook his head and held me firmly against him. "If you are going to find out," he paused and held me even tighter. I could hear the rapid beats of his heart and the warm tears that fell on my skin, as he wept silently. "Marissa is saying that she's pregnant with my child." he whispered.

I dropped to my knees and wept for his sadness and for the destruction of my happiness. "What?"

"I'm sorry." he said dejectedly and looked down at me. "I've never meant to hurt you. I've never wanted things to end this way."


	10. Chapter 10

**Tangled In This Love**

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**Heartbreak**

_Caleb's POV_

I walked behind Sunshine, as she sauntered sadly into the living room, where my father and the rest of her family sat. She ran into her mother's arms and Leah stared dejectedly at me. She was trying to make sense of everything that was happening to her daughter. Her eyes turned into slit when Marissa stood up from the sofa and walked over to me, placing her hand on my arm. She turned her face and held on tightly to Sunshine's weeping body. I felt my heart breaking as she sobbed. Nothing mattered. Sunshine was the only thing that I cared about. She was the only thing that was pure and amazing. She was the adhesive that held me together, because without her I was dead. My life would never be the same without her. I silently prayed that someday we would be able to be together, with no intriguing schemes surrounding us.

"Caleb, sweetheart," Marissa said softly, running her hand up my arm. "I'm so glad that you are here."

"Get away from me," I said, through clenched teeth. "Don't ever touch me," I said, as tears of anger fell down my face.

"Caleb, you are crying. What did she do to you?" she hissed angrily, as she turned to Sunshine. "What did the little slut do to you? Why are you treating me this way?"

"Don't ever say that about her," I hissed and stared daggers at her.

"Stupid ass," Leah muttered, resting her head on Sunshine's shoulder. "Don't speak to my daughter that way," Leah said, gently stroking Sunny's back, as she tried to sooth her. "Why don't you leave La Push and never come back." Leah spat furiously. "If it wasn't for you, my daughter would be happy. You had to ruin everything," she said, slowly releasing Sunny from her embrace and sat her next to Sunny's identical Aunts.

"I'm not scared of you," Marissa said, as she hid behind me. "Caleb will defend me." She said nervously.

"Let go of me," I hissed, jerking my arm away. "I don't want to deal with you now." I said frustrated, as Sunshine's sobs broke my heart into millions of pieces. "Just leave me alone and stop lying!"

"But, Caleb," Marissa said between sobs. "I haven't lied,"

"You are so full of it," I spat and walked over to Sunshine, but Leah stopped me. I nodded and with one last lingering gaze turned to exit the living room. My parents remained quiet, my father's eyes followed me and my mother pitied Marissa. "I need to get out of here. There's nothing to do here… anymore." I mumbled.

"You can't leave me here, Caleb," Marissa sobbed and ran her hand over her face and rushed to my side. "I'm pregnant!"

"Then why didn't you tell me before?" I said angrily, as I paced the room. Brady and Leslie remained quiet in their seats. I felt ashamed for causing such a scandal in their house. I didn't know how I was going to apologize.

"I was, but then you ignored me last night." She said, clutching at her purse as she looked down at the floor. "It's the truth. I wouldn't lie to you." She said, catching her breath. "Why are you pushing me away from you? You've always been kind to me and now… you treat me like I have the plague… It's all that bitch's fault." She said, pointing at Sunshine.

"I want to go home, Mom," Sunshine cried, hiding her face from me. "Please, take me home. I don't want to deal with this anymore. I want out."

Leah carefully turned around and effortlessly scooped her daughter off the couch and nestled her close to her heart. "We are leaving, Sunshine. We are leaving, precious."

"I'm sorry, princess. Give Mommy a second to beat the shit out this hoebag," Leah said, as she held her daughter tightly and kissed her forehead. "Ary, Gigi and Harry will take you back home, princess."

"No," Sunshine sobbed softly. "Stay with me, please, Mom." Sunshine pleaded, her lower lip quivering as she inhaled deeply. "I don't want any violence. She's going to have Caleb's baby. He isn't at fault." She whispered. "The baby isn't at fault."

"Sunshine," I said, walking over to her, but she raised a hand, stopping me on my tracks. "Just stay away from me, please. Be with your future child. I don't have anything to offer you." She cried dejectedly and turned to her mother. "Mom, put me down. I want to get out of here, now." She shouted and ran past me, without acknowledging that I was there.

"We'll take her home." Harrison said, as he stood up from his seat and walked over to Leah and gave her a hug. He walked past me and patted my shoulder and leaned forward. "That bitch isn't pregnant." He said and bobbed his head.

I walked over to the window and saw Sunshine pacing around her mother's car. I saw her playing with her hands as a bout of fresh tears streamed down her pretty face. She ran to her cousin's arm and Harrison embraced, stroking her hair, telling her that everything was going to be alright.

"I lost him. He is no longer mine." Sunny cried and buried her face in his chest. "I loved him, Uncle Harrison. I loved him and that's why I must get out of here, because I would run back in to his arms and ask him to stay with me… But, she's pregnant with his child. A child needs a father and I won't take that from him… I hope that he's happy with her. Marissa better make him happy, because I won't forgive her." She wailed frantically. "I won't forgive her if she hurts his heart."

For the first time that day, I noticed how innocent and precious my imprint truly was. She wasn't crying for her pain, she was crying for me. She wanted my happiness above hers. It broke my soul to hear her words. My angel, my Sunshine. She was an angel that had been stripped of her winds. I'd been responsible of ripping them apart and now she was left in a hell, bleeding endlessly, due to my carelessness.

"I can't be here," I said, stepping out of the house and running to Sunshine.

"Go back inside," she whispered, when she turned around to face me. I walked closer to her, but Harrison stepped between us and shook his head. I ignored him and took her hand in mine. "You and I never had anything. Think about it... we aren't really meant to be together," She smiled miserably behind her tears. "We were just lost in the moment. We thought that we could make something of the ashes that remained in front of us… I'm just a teenager, with nothing to give you. I have dreams and nothing is concrete. My mother even says that I'm a dreamer. I need to get my head out of the clouds… But," she paused and inhaled deeply, staring at the floor as she exhaled. "Marissa is the person that you need. I'm not good for you. I'm much younger than you, we have nothing in common. Take advantage of Marissa's love for you. She's giving you a child. Love him and care for him."

"If she's truly pregnant, then I'll take care of my child. I don't need to be with her to do that..." I swallowed. "I don't want her," I whispered, my voice faltering. "I want you. I need only you. I desperately need you. Damn it, baby, I ran away before, because I was a coward. I was afraid to feel the same way Emerson did. Your father didn't want us together and to me that was the end of my world. I thought that if I was away from you, then..." I paused and ran my free hand over my face and inhaled deeply. "I didn't have anyone to tell me what to do. I thought that leaving you behind was the correct thing, but fucks, was I wrong. I always thought of you. I prayed that you were safe and now that I have you in front of me... I don't want to let go." I trailed off and raked my fingers through my hair when I felt my father's presence. "I thought that if I left you… it wouldn't hurt so much to live without you, but I was wrong." I said, my voice breaking. "I was so damn wrong. I love you, Sunshine. I never meant to hurt you. All my decisions have been based without you in them and that's why they've led me to this moment. I'm so sorry that I can't go back in time and fix the path that I've taken. Because if I could, I would have gone with my gut feeling. I would have chosen to remain in La Push and fight for you. I swear that I would! I don't want to be apar- Don't hate me, please. I'm sorry." I begged, as one more tear fell down my face.

She turned the other way, pretending to hide her own tears. "I don't hate you," she smiled despondently and gave my hand a gentle squeeze. "I never will. I'm glad that this happened now before we... Caleb - I just think that you and I aren't meant to be together. There's always something between us – your family, they don't want us together." she said sadly, staring directly at my father. "My father… he hates you… There's a past in our lives that is always going to be there, impeding us to move forward together and now this… She's pregnant with your child. I can't get in between that." She yelled. "Just forget about me. I'll be fine. I'm a crybaby. I cry for everything, Caleb. My tears will be gone in a day or two. I'll feel better. I will probably find a boyfriend that makes me happy and everything will be back to normal, like nothing happened."

"I don't want to forget you. I refuse to forget you," I said, as one tear strolled down my face.

"I'm sorry, but I can't continue like this," she said quietly.

"I want you in my life. I don't want to ever be away from you." I said frustrated. "I don't want her… I want you. I need you. I desperately need you, angel."

"I don't want to be in your life anymore," she shouted.

"Sunshine," I said. I felt her words eviscerate me from the inside out. "Don't do this to me. Please, don't give up on us. I'm sorry if I've hurt you. I never did any of this intentionally. I didn't know that Marissa would get pregnant. I thought she was being cautious. She never wanted to have children. To her, her career is more important." I said breathlessly.

"Just let me go... You did it once, why can't you do it again. Just- ugh! Get out of my life and take her with you. Leave me alone and never come after me. Let's save us all this drama. I don't need this pain. I don't want to see you again. I swear that I don't hate you. You didn't know... things like this happen, but please, let me go. I want to live a happier life and if you are in my life, I will only cry tears of sadness. You aren't right for me." She cried. "It's over… Actually, there's never been you and I! Like I said, we got carried away, but reality hurts and it's standing right in front of us." she said angrily, behind her tears. "Marissa is pregnant. Be a man and deal with your problems. Be a great father to your son and love him. That's all that matter." She said, turning around and ran into Harrison's arms.

"You should go back to her," One of the identical half-breeds said in a monotonous voice. "She's waiting for you." She said, pointing at Marissa.

"Aunt Gigi, I want to go," Sunshine shouted, getting in the backseat of her mother's car. "I want to go home, now!"

Gigi stared at me and spun around, walking over to the car. "Let's go, Harrison." She said, her voice filled with love for her husband. Harrison nodded and shrugged at me.

"Please, take me away from here. I want to go home. I want my Dad." She sobbed, hiding her tears from me. "I want to be with the people that I love."

"I thought that you love me," I mumbled.

"You thought wrong," she said coldly, slamming the backseat door.

I took a step back, raking my fingers through my hair as I stared at the destruction of my happy Sunshine. Memories of her laughing filled my heart and I felt like the worst person in the world. Marissa tried to speak, but the sound of Sun's cries were louder. My heart ached when Sunny stopped weeping and turned to face me.

"Sunny," I managed articulate. "I'm sorry."

"We should go home." Dad said, as he placed a caring hand on my shoulder. "You are going to need a place to stay, right?"

"I can stay at a hotel," I said coldly.

"Caleb," Marissa said irritated as she touched my arm. "I want to go home." She said, glaring at the car where Sunshine was. They were still parked in the driveway, waiting for the other twin that was still inside, retaining a crazed Leah from beating up Marissa.

"Don't touch me," I said angrily.

"Caleb," Mom said frustrated. "Marissa needs to eat. This horrible situation might harm the baby."

"I don't believe her," I spat, snatching my arm away from her touch. "I don't believe that she's pregnant."

"Caleb," Mom said aghast. "We didn't raise you to be so-"

"You didn't raise me at all!" I said hatefully. "You barely paid attention to me or acknowledge that I was there." I said in a fit of rage. "Emerson was the only thing that mattered to you! You fucking ignored me! Your damn rum bottle was more important than me after his death. I had to fend for myself. It got so fucking hard, that I had to leave that house, where every room had a fucking altar dedicated to Emerson. I had to leave the house, because it was that or I would've jumped off a cliff to end my fucking misery!" I spat angrily, clenching my fists.

"Caleb!" Leah shouted from inside. I looked at her and for a moment, I saw her daughter's eyes in her. For some mysterious reason, I felt calmed. "Don't do it. Everything is alright. Trust me, it's not worth it." She warned me. "Don't do it."

"Son," Mom said, patting my hand. "Let's go home. Let's leave the past in the past. We can start over again."

"No, I don't want to go to that house." I said irritated.

"Caleb, don't speak to your mom that way." Marissa said, as she stared daggers at Sunshine.

"Give me the keys to the rental," I ordered her.

"What?" she asked confused, as she stared at me. I straightened my back, towering over her, when I took the purse from her and started rummaging for the keys. I found them and took her arm in my hand. "What are you doing? You are hurting me, Caleb."

"Son, what are you doing? You are hurting her." Mom said alarmed. "Remember that she's pregnant."

"Now I'm your son? Now you want to be my parents?" I laughed condescending. "You want to be the doting parents that I never had, is that right? Why didn't you think of that when I needed you or when you," I said, pointing at my mother. "Loved your alcohol bottle more than your son?"

"I'm sorry," she said, as she walked over to my father. "Those were hard times. I'd lost Emerson. He died in such a-"

"They were hard times for me too. I'd lost my brother... I practically lost everything when he died." I said, dragging Marissa towards the rental that was parked down the street. "But that's all in the past, right? I should forget them too." I tugged Marissa with me and walked next to Leah's Subaru, stopping next to the window and leaned down to see Sunshine. She was sitting behind the driver's seat; her hands hid her face as she wept wretchedly. "Sunshine Marie," I said in a hoarse voice.

She looked up at me and blinked back the tears. "Yes," she whispered.

"I'm going to prove to you that she's lying." I said determined. "She's not pregnant. I know that she isn't." I said, turning to face Marissa, who was shaking in her skin. "You are coming with me. We are going to find out if you are pregnant."

"I-" Marissa stuttered, but I pulled her down the driveway and away from everyone. I could hear my father's soft voice in the background, but the anger that I felt was too much. I wanted to punch something and just phase, but this was important. I needed to know. I needed to prove to Sunshine that Marissa was lying. I only hoped that it was true.

"Caleb, please, son," Dad sad softly, as he walked over to us. "We were in sorrow. We apologize for neglecting you. We've changed. Your departure left us empty and that's when your mom found out that she was pregnant with Jordan." He said sadly. "We can be a family again..."

I ignored him and stared back at Sunshine sitting in the back of the car. Her bloodshot eyes followed me. She'd stopped crying, but I could feel the few steel cables that united our souls breaking. She was making her mind and I wasn't part of her decision. She was letting me go. If she did, I would definitely die. There wouldn't be anything to live for. Yes, I would definitely die.


	11. Chapter 11

**Tangled in this Love**

AN: I hope that you like it. This chapter is in Sunshine's POV. She'll be getting close to Caleb very soon.

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**Emotions**

Sunshine's POV

I inhaled deeply and counted to three. This was my way of calming my anxiety and let the calmness flow through my veins. I'd waited so long for this opportunity and I was finally living it. I had to do my best. If I played the violin properly, I would be considered for the scholarship to enter a prestigious music school in Seattle.

"Don't be so nervous," Jordan said, when he entered the room next to the auditorium. "You'll do fine."

"Jordan!" I said contently, placing my violin on the table. "What are you doing here?" I asked confused, running to him. He opened his arms and gave me a big bear hug and rocked me. "I thought that your parents wouldn't let you come."

"They didn't," he chuckled. "I asked Caleigh to pick me up. They think that I'm staying the weekend with some friends. Your Mom invited me to stay with you guys for the weekend." He said, slowly pulling me away.

"That's nice," I said, stepping away from him. "I know that Adam is going to have a blast with you."

"He's going to teach me how to play that new video game." He shrugged.

"Nice, listen, Jor, I have to warm up for the audition." I said, pushing him towards the door he'd just came in from.

"Are you kicking me out?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. I nodded and smiled. He smiled back, causing my heart to sink inside my chest with sadness. Jordan Call had many features that reminded me of his brother.

"I'll be rooting for you out there," he said, walking backwards towards the door. He waved at me and flashed me a toothy green. "Break a leg!"

I waved at him and watched him walked out of the room, leaving me to my thoughts. It'd been seven months since I've seen Caleb. He came to my house, begging my father to speak to me. I didn't want to accept it, but Caleigh had urged me to go downstairs to speak to him. She told me that I needed to pursue my happiness and that's exactly what I did. I followed my heart and it led me to this moment. I walked back to my violin and stared down at it. In the open violin case, I saw the business card that Caleb had given me a few months ago. I sat on the chair and skimmed through the flimsy paper.

"Caleb," I whispered sadly, as I tasted the saltiness of my tears, as they slid down my face. I closed my eyes and for the first time in seven months, thought of the last time that I saw him.

_"Here," he'd said, as he pulled a wrinkled paper out of his jacket's pocket._

_"What is this?" I asked, knitting my eyebrows together, staring questioningly at him, as I took the paper out of his hand._

_"It's probably something stupid," Dad spat irritated, from where he stood, near the hall that led to the kitchen._

_"Dad, please," Caleigh grunted. "This is important. Read it, Sunshine." She said, crossing her arms over her chest and stared attentively at me._

_I looked around the living room and noticed my mother's urging nod. I slowly unwrinkled the paper and looked at Caleb's face. He looked distraught and I knew that this paper would dictate our lives. With trembling hands I held the paper closer to my face and read. _

_"I don't understand what this means," I said, shaking my head, as I handed my mother the paper. "Mom, can you tell me." I said nervously._

_Mom nodded and without speaking, took the paper from my hands and read it. "It means that Marissa isn't pregnant." She said, offering me a smile. _

_I nodded and took the paper back. I looked at it and sighed in relieve, but tears were falling down my face. It had been the longest day in my life. I waited an entire day for the news of Marissa's predicament and now that I knew the answer, I didn't know if I was happy or sad._

_"So she isn't pregnant," Dad sneered. "What makes you so sure that my daughter will take you back?" he asked Caleb._

_"Sir," Caleb paused, shoving his hands in his pocket and staring at the floor. "I care for your daughter,"_

_"If you care for her," Dad paused, striding over to where Mom and I stood. Caleigh moved away and stood near Caleb, placing a caring hand on his arm. He looked at her and smiled kindly. "Why don't you let her be. She doesn't need all this adult drama in her life. She's only fifteen years old. She's still a child. She has a life before her and she doesn't need you to ruin it for her. Shit! You've been in her life less than three days and you've caused major problems."_

_"Dad," I said sadly. "Don't talk to him-"_

_"I'm not going to sit back and watch this idiot destroy your life," He said angrily._

_"Sir, I understand. I know that I've caused major trouble in your daughter's life, but I'm willing to make amends for all the trouble I've caused. I want to rectify my mistakes. I just ask that I be given a second chance. I love her. I can't stay away from her anymore. I'm willing to fight for her." He said honestly, as his gray eyes searched mine. "I'm willing to do anything that you ask, Sunny. If you want me in your life…"_

_"I don't want you in my life," I lied, taking a step back. "I can't trust my heart to you. You've broken it. My Dad is right." I said dejectedly._

_"Sunshine," Caleigh said alarmed. "Don't make this mistake. You are going to regret it down the road."_

_"No, Caleigh," I paused, brushing a tear away with the heel of my hand. "Dad is right. I need to think about my heart. He left me before and didn't fight for me. I can do the same. I can live without him. I know that I can,"_

_"I promise you, Sunshine, that it will hurt more," he said, placing his hand on his chest. "Is this what you truly want? I won't bother you anymore, if this is what you want." He said despondently. "I won't bother you again, as long as this is what you want." _

_I looked at my Mom and she was shaking her head in disapproval. "It'll hurt," she whispered sadly. _

_"Yes, this is what I want." I lied and ran upstairs to my room. _

It was hard living without him. I was the one that made the decision of pushing him away. He came back the following night and missed his plane back to Chicago. He'd begged me to let him stay beside him, but how could I? I was hurting. My pride was greater than my will to forgive him. It was something that I'd inherited from my mother. She was stubborn and so was I.

Marissa wasn't expecting his child. He was willing to fight for me, but I rejected him. I turned him down and walked out of his life. I thought about how my life would be without him, but I had to try living, even if thinking of him hurt. Even if I would never know the joys of being with my imprinter.

I was doing the right thing. I had to erase the events of that weekend when I first saw him. I had to, for my sake and the sake of my future. I had to be selfish and think of my happiness. I was going to live my life. He'd done it before. It mustn't be so hard, I guess. But I was wrong. It was the hardest thing in the world. I thought of him nonstop, but I held my feelings inside. I didn't cry for him. He had a life and soon, if my calculations were correct, I would start my junior year in another city.

"Are you ready?" Katie Stone asked me, when she came to the room I was.

"A little nervous," I confessed. "I don't like being in front of people."

"You'll do fine. You are a pro at the violin. Plus," she chuckled, placing her violoncello in its case. "You submerge yourself in your own little world when you are playing." She smiled.

"Thanks, Kate," I smiled. "I wish you the best of luck."

"I'm not that interested in going to that musical school in Seattle." She shrugged and locked the case. "I'm just doing it to please my parents." She confided.

"I see," I whispered.

I was nervous; playing in front of more than a hundred people was terrifying. I didn't like being the center of attention, but this was different. Violin had been a hobby of mine, but after losing the better half of my heart, it became my passion and calling. I became alive whenever I held the instrument in my hands and played it. I don't know what motivated me to pay attention to my parents when they suggested that I learn to play the violin, but it was the best decision I've ever made. It became my solace in the nights when I couldn't sleep, because Caleb's face followed me. I mean, the violin was fun; it taught me values and how to manage my time. It filled my lonely time with notes that made every sacrifice worth it. The nostalgic feeling that it evoked in me whenever I played, were beyond words. It made me feel elated, because the wistful notes that poured as I played it, transported me to a place that I only knew. I could imagine my future life, without feeling condemned to this heartache that would forever follow me. The intricate notes overwhelmed me. They spoke my heart's true feelings and resonated the desperate cries of my aching lonely soul, as it tried to find sense of my life. Through my playing, I was reaching the many lonely souls that were out there in need of hope and in search of their own path.

"Sunny," Katie said, patting my shoulder. "They called your name." she said, signaling at the door. "It's your turn to play. Break a leg!" she said, clapping contently.

"Yeah, I guess it's my turn." I said, smiling wearily, as I trudged out the door and turned to look back. Katie was there encouraging me to continue. I sighed sadly and imagined that it was Caleb's face the one that I saw giving me the strength I needed.

I sighed miserably and clutched the violin tightly against my chest, as I walked up the podium and heard the muffled noises that came from the crowd.

"Go, Sunshine! You can do it!" My brother Adam shouted from the crowd.

Suddenly there were loud applauses coming from the back of the room. "You are the best!" Jordan screamed loudly.

I could hear the people on the front shuffling in their seats. I blinked nervously, biting the inside of my cheeks, when the bright lights dim and the music director pointed at me. This was my time; my entire life depended on this moment. I had given up on love, but not on my love for music. I was competing for the most acclaimed spot that was being offered by the most prestigious School of Music in Washington. Out of twenty violinists, only three had the fortune to be considered for those desired spots. If I was accepted, I would be moving to Seattle the following fall to start on my career as a violinist.

This was a stepping stone for my ambitious goal to enter Julliard and continue with my life. I didn't want to admit it, but this was what I wanted. At first, I participated to make my father happy. He loved it when I played the violin and even though, he didn't like Caleb that much. I loved him and did anything to make him happy. But as time progressed, I began to find joy in my music. It became my salvation. This became my passion and I looked forward to pursuing my dreams.

"Sunny, start playing" Satyer Hasid, my music instructor, mouthed.

I nodded, placing my chin on the chinrest of the violin. I brought the bow close to the strings and when the music instructor began to play the notes on the piano for my accompaniment, I immediately began to play Vivaldi's The Four Seasons- Winter Allegro Non Molto. I don't know how I managed to gather the strength to play in front of the crowd. I knew that I had to. I had to let my soul speak its sadness. I closed my eyes and ignored the faces that stared at me. I was captivated by the music. It was like I became someone else and my timid self disappeared, giving way to a more assertive me. I played, forgetting the crowd, Caleb, and the fear that seemed to nestle in my heart whenever I stood in front of an audience. I finished playing, and received a standing ovation from the crowd. My family and Jordan were sitting on the back, yelling and shouting my name, causing me to smiled coyly and walked down the podium. After an hour, the recital was done and Mr. Hasid told us that the judges will be presenting their decision on the following Friday. I sighed and walked back to the room where I'd left my violin case and prepared to leave. I took my time, because I didn't want to go home. It was still daylight when I stepped out of the building and saw my family smiling proudly at me.

"Mom!" I said, running towards her. "Did you like it?"

"Baby," Mom said, ambling towards me, when she saw me exit the school's auditorium. My sister Caleigh, my brother Byron Adam and Jordan Call were standing beside her. Dad had a bouquet of pink roses in his hands and immediately handed them to me. "Wow! You were the best out there. You played wonderfully." She said proudly, kissing my cheek. "I wouldn't be surprised if you get a spot on that snooty prestigious music school you want to go." She said assured.

"Thanks, Mom." I whispered, clutching at the flowers with one hand and the other holding my violin case. "Can we go home? I have to blog about my recital."

"Serious? You blog? Since when?" Caleigh asked, frowning. "Who reads your boring blogs, anyway?" Caleigh said teasingly.

"I do," Adam said, leaning down to kiss my forehead. "I'm her number one fan."

"I do too," Jordan chimed in, walking over to me to give me a hug. "You were great."

"Thanks," I smiled, giving him a half hug. "Caleigh, these two dumb-dumbs are always responding to my blog!" I said, smiling at my brother. "They are probably the only ones." I laughed.

We walked in comfortable silence, toward the car, when Mom shoved Dad, causing him to stop dead on his tracks. "What was that for, Leah?" he chuckled, shaking his head.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" she said, staring suspiciously at him.

"No,"

"Benedict Brooks," Mom said irritated, placing her hand on her hip. "You know what I'm talking about!"

"What are these two fussing about now," Jordan whispered next to my ear. I shrugged and glanced at my parents, giving each other cues.

"Oh, that," Dad finally said and shoved his hand in his pocket. "Are you sure it's safe to do this?"

"Benny, stop being such a dumbass," she chortled and went over to him and kissed the tip of his nose. "She deserves it. She's worked hard on her school. She is going to need it. You and I both know that she's going to get accepted to that school in Seattle."

"Leah," Dad whined, wrapping his large arms around my mother's small waist. "She's still our little girl."

"She will always be our little girl," Mom reassured him. "Now, give her the keys."

"What keys?" Jordan, Byron Adam and I asked simultaneously.

Caleigh chuckled and walked around our parents and took the keys out of my Dad's hand. "Sunny, Mom and Dad bought you a car." She said nonchalantly, throwing the keys at me. Jordan caught them, since I was holding the violin case and the flowers that Dad had given me earlier.

"Keys? A car?" I asked baffled.

"Yeah, duh," Caleigh teased. "You took the driving license test and passed it, right?" she asked. I nodded. "You have a driver's license, right?" I nodded again and smiled, looking at Jordan's hand.

"I have a car?" I shrieked happily,.

Mom and Dad nodded proudly and gestured me to follow them. "That's your car!" Mom said excitedly, as she placed her hand on a brand new metallic blue Toyota Camry sedan. "You chose it that day that we stopped near the car dealership, remember?"

I nodded, unable to articulate any words. "Well, it's yours. You deserve it. You have proven yourself and we trust you. If you get accepted at the snooty school, you can come every weekend to visit us." She said, a tear strolling down her face. "I'm sorry. I'm just so emotional today." She laughed.

"Mom," Adam said, hugging her. "Do I get a car next year?" he asked jestingly.

Dad swatted his arm and chuckled. "You can drive the guys around in your new car… but be home before dinner, alright?" he said.

"Hell yeah!" I shrieked loudly, causing Caleigh to cover her ears. I snatched the keys from Jordan's hand and handed him my violin case and the flowers to Byron Adams. I unlocked the car and hopped in the driver's seat. "Are you guys coming?" I said, when I rolled down the windows. Jordan sat in the back and Adam in the passenger seat. "Where are you going Caleigh?"

"Over to La Push! I gotta see Michael," she said sadly. "I haven't seen him in like forever. Be careful. I placed some money for gas in your glove compartment. Take as much as you'll need. Go where your heart will take you, everything will be fine. Trust your heart, Sunshine." She winked and walked away.

"She saw him yesterday," Adam said under his breath. "What's all that babble that she's talking about?"

"I don't know," Jordan shrugged.

"OK, bye," I waved.

Dad walked over to the car and leaned next to the driver's window and cupped my chin with his hand. "Be safe."

"I will. Thanks for the car, Dad." I said, sticking my arms out the window and hugging him. "You are the best."

"I know," he smiled and kissed my forehead before he left.

I placed the key in the ignition and turned on the engine. Adam and Jordan clapped and shouted merrily. I adjusted the mirrors, put on my seatbelt and entered the address to our final destination.

"Where are we going?" Jordan asked excitedly.

"To Chicago," I said, putting the car on reversed and got out of the parking spot and peeled out of the school's parking lot.


	12. Chapter 12

**Tangled in This Love**

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**Road Trip**

_Sunshine's POV_

I drove slowly down the road, as I nervously looked back at the rearview mirror and noticed Jordan smiling approvingly, as he moved his hand to the rhythm of the music. I sighed contently, at least, well; he was supporting me with his actions. His smile gave me the strength that I needed. It was strange how at ease I felt with Jordan. My brother on the other hand, had a solemn look about him.

"There goes Mom and Dad," Adam said unfazed.

I swallowed hard, when I saw a Subaru that looked just like my parents' and I freaked. I knew that my father was going to kill me the moment he finds out that I was on my way to Chicago. I knew it was irresponsible thing to do and it was so not me; but I had to do it. I needed to desist of my selfish desire to see Caleb! I was getting my brother and best friend in trouble with my actions. But something deep inside my soul and in my heart was telling me to take a risk; a leap into the unknown.

"I have to do this," I muttered, clutching tightly to the steering wheel. "I have to see him. This is my only chance."

"You can call him," Adam said, crossing his arms over his chest. "I mean, how hard is it to pick up a phone to call him? It's irresponsible to just drive to Chicago, Illinois, without our parents' permission."

"Stop being a party pooper," Jordan laughed. "We are young! Aren't we supposed to be wild at this age?"

"You are fourteen, Jordan. You are supposed to be at home, not on a road trip to Chicago without your parents' permission. That's half way in the United States. No wonder your parents don't like the Brooks. They're going to think that we are reckless and-"

"Shoot, Byron," Jordan said irritated. "Who talks like that anymore? You sound like an old man. How old are you? Fifty?"

"In a past life he would've been forty years old," I muttered, which caused Byron Adam to whip his head to me. "Sorry, that was uncalled for." I laughed nervously. "I'll just concentrate on the road."

"Yeah, do that," he said, shifting on the seat. "Well," Adam said, sighing in annoyance. "If we are going to Chicago, we might as well stop by the house and pack some clothes. I don't think that I can last a week on the same suit Mom made me wear for your recital."

"What if Mom stops us?" I asked worriedly. "I won't get to ever get to see Caleb, Adam." I whined.

"Stop being such a dramatic chick,"

"Jordan, you aren't helping," I gritted.

"Hey, don't lose faith," Adam said coolly. "You can call him and tell him how you feel. I know that he'll come flying back just to see you. Plus," he paused and sulked. "They are going on a date," Adam said. "They won't be back until midnight."

"Are you sure?" I asked, knitting my eyebrows together questioningly.

"Yes," my brother nodded and looked out the window. "Chicago is almost two thousand miles from here. You've never driven so much. Are you sure that you are up to driving such a long distance?"

"Two thousand miles?" I asked in awed. "Darn that is far away. The farthest I have driven is like, I don't know, two hours."

"But," Jordan laughed. "It's expected of us to pull this type of stunts. Our parents did them when they were young. My father went to New York when he was your age, Sunshine. Only wearing the same clothes he'd tied to his leg, for almost a month. He ran for three days straight, just to see my mother in summer camp. They closed it down, because they saw a large bear strolling around the area."

"Our Mom lived in Africa," Adam said, smiling. "She was an anthropologist and studied mummies."

"No, she worked in Africa, as an archeologist. Anthropology is the study of human behavior. Mom was wild, but, I doubt that she did anything stupid when she was our age." I said quizzically. "What do you think, Adam?"

"I don't know," he shrugged. "Mom is like a hundred years old." He chuckled.

"I like old gals. She's hot," Jordan chortled.

"Dude, that's my Mom you are talking about!" Adam said infuriated. "That's so not nice. It's gross!"

"Hey, I'm just saying."

"Maybe we should go back. This is wrong. Let's forget it and go back home." I said nervously and swallowed hard. "I'm driving us back." I said in determination. "I can't do this. I should do it. My heart is telling me that I should. But I can't,"

"Sunshine," Jordan said irritated. "Let's do this. This is an opportunity that has presented itself and you should take advantage of it. I want to see my brother. You want to see your imprinter. It's a win-win situation for us two." He said, smiling mischievously. "He sort of left La Push in a hurry and I didn't get to spend time with him. This is a chance for me to truly bond with my ol' bro. Yeah, we talk on the phone and shit like that, but it's not the same. I'm missing out on having him in my life." Jordan sighed. "I want to be there for him and have a tight relationship. I envy what you and Adam have. I don't know what it feels to have a brother. I didn't meet Emerson. From what I've heard, he was a total douche."

"Tell me about it," Adam said, rolling his eyes and staring out the window.

"Adam," I said, smacking his arm. "Shut up,"

"I heard that," Jordan muttered and I watched from the rearview mirror as he looked down at his hands. "Caleb is all I have left. I want to know him. My parents aren't getting any younger. I want to have someone… what I'm trying to say is that I need a brother. The night before he left, he sort of stayed in our house. We got to talk almost all night. He's a cool guy. He never meant to hurt you, Sunshine. He loves you very much. His life has been complicating and that witch sort of ruined it for the two of you. In the time that we spent together, I got to know a bit about him. He seems to like the same things as I do."

"He does?"

"Yeah," Jordan nodded, catching my attention. "He likes Mac-n-cheese,"

"Everyone likes Mac-n-cheese, Jordan." Adam teased.

"Shut up, Adam," I snapped. "Let him talk."

"He likes baseball, hockey, basketball, football, cheerleading competition, and he likes strippers."

"He said that?" I asked annoyed.

"No, I just wanted to make sure that you were paying attention to me." He laughed. "He seems to like the same things as me and I think that it's cool. It gives us more opportunities to bond."

"Does he get along with your parents?"

"Not yet," Jordan mumbled and ran his hand over his face and leaned forward, between the passenger and driver's seat. "There are still things that those three have to work out. Hey, Sun, what do you like the most about my brother, Sun?" he asked.

I was about to answer when my telephone began to ring. "Can you pass me my purse, Adam?" I asked my brother. He nodded and reached under the passenger seat and pulled out my small handbag. "Thanks," I said, offering him a smile, when he handed me the purse. I rummaged for my phone, my eyes steadied on the road. "Hello," I said, placing the cellphone next to my ear.

"Turn back around, now," Caleigh paused. "Mike and I are driving you to Chicago." She said after a brief pause.

"How did you- forget it," I said, shaking my head. "But why are you guys taking us?"

"It's a long story." She said, sighing. "I saw something and I didn't like it. If you are with Mike and me, you'll be safe. Turn your new car around and I'll meet me you at the house in a few minutes. Pack a bag of clothes and don't worry about the rest. Mom and Dad won't know where we are going. I've told them that we are going camping and then we are going to visit a friend of Michael in Seattle. Tell Byron to pack extra clothes for Jordan. I'll meet you at the house in twenty minutes. Try to be fast. We don't want Mom and Dad to catch us at the house, because then they'll be questioning us about everything."

"OK," I said, turning to the right of the street. I hung up the phone and sighed loudly. "My plans have changed."

"We've heard," Jordan said, smiling. "It'll be fun. I like Mike. He's fun."

"I guess I'm in," Byron said nonchalantly. "I can't have Michael alone with Caleigh, or you alone with Caleb." He inhaled. "That wouldn't be conscientious."

"You and I are going to have fun in Chicago. I want to eat hotdog from those stands that they have at the park. I want to go to the Sears towers and-"

"I get it," Byron interjected Jordan, turning to face the backseat. "You want to see Chicago. We'll have time for that later."

We made it to the house in ten minutes. The minute I pulled into the driveway, I ran into the house and packed as much stuff as I could. I even packed a few of the dresses my mom had bought for me. I threw my toothbrush, toothpaste, hairspray, gel, mousse and other hair products in the bag, three pairs of shoes, perfume, deodorant and other essential stuff in the duffel bag and zipped it close, when I was done. I ran down the hall and stopped in front of Byron Adam's room and knocked on his door.

"We are ready," Jordan said, opening the door for me. "You need help?"

"No," I said, but it was too late, he had the duffel bag in his hand and effortlessly was strolling down the staircase. "I'll be downstairs." He yelled over his shoulder.

"Byron, hurry," I said desperately.

"OK, I'm coming," he grumbled, as he walked out of the room. "Since you aren't carrying anything, bring my pillow." He said. I nodded and ran into his room and grabbed two pillows. One for me and one for him. "Sneaky," he laughed and we ambled to the car just in time to see Tim Uley's SUV pulling into our driveway.

"Tim's coming?" I asked confused.

"No, that's Michael driving." Jordan said. "Good, because I didn't think that all of us were going to fit in your car." He commented and turned to look at me. "Nervous?"

I nodded and chuckled. "Super nervous. Do you think that he'll want to talk to me?"

He nodded and gestured me to follow him. I sauntered over to the parked SUV and saw Michael smiling lovingly at my sister. He then whirled his head to the side of the window and smiled down at me. "Hey, kiddo. Are you ready?"

I shook my head, but smiled. "I'm nervous. I think it's a stupid idea, but I have to follow my guts. They are telling me to go."

"Then let's go," Caleigh shouted from the passenger seat. "Get inside. Hurry up, before Mom and Dad get here."

"OK," I said, stepping back to allow Michael room to open the driver's side door.

"Let me help you guys put your bags in the trunk," he said, stepping out of the car. He walked around and opened the trunk and started piling our bags one on top of the other. I turned to look at Caleigh and she smiled at me and gnawed at her bottom lip. I walked around the vehicle and stopped by the passenger side. She slowly opened the door and motioned me to get closer. I did and what surprised me were the tears that were falling down her face.

"I love him so much," she whispered next to my ear.

"I know. I can tell,"

"No, you don't understand," she said, licking her lips softly. "He's been there through thick and thin. I've always had a crush on him, but now it's real. He's mine. I love him. I feel complete, whenever I am with him. I know how you must feel alone, without half of your soul beside you. I don't want you to suffer. That's why I think this will be a good road trip. I know that you will make him understand." She stopped and inhaled deeply.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing," she lied and looked away. "I'm just excited. We never do things like this. For the first time since you started becoming cool, I can actually say that I'm proud of you. I know that this might sound cliché, but always follow your heart."

"What do you mean?" I giggled, brushing my sister's tears away.

"This isn't just a road trip for you, Sunny." She stopped and tucked a few strands away from my face. "There is also something that I wanted to do… I wanted to do something for a long time now." She trailed off and hopped off the car and hugged me. "You look so much like Dad." She said, smiling dejectedly at me.

"I know,"

"Do you know that Dad isn't really my father, right?" she said sadly. I nodded slowly. "I always knew that I was different from Adam and you. I am light skinned, green eyes that aren't the same shade as Dad's… but that never stopped me from loving him. He's been a great father and I love him with all that I am, Sunshine."

"Then why are you telling me this, Cal?"

"Sun, I want to go and visit my biological father's grave. I want to pay my respects to him. He was also part of the miracle called life. He gave it to me and thanks to his love for my mother; I am here today; standing in front of you, telling you how much I love my family and my Michael."

"I know,"

"My father gave me life and I want to thank him. I believe that we never truly die. There's always a part of us that remains in this world." She said, as she quickly glanced at Adam.

"Mom showed me a picture of him," I smiled, pulling away enough to see my brother's face. "You have his green eyes and according to her, your loving and adventurous spirit is just like him. He left a part of his heart in you. You are his legacy. I'm glad that he left you behind for me to enjoy. I'm glad that you are my sister and I love you with all my heart, Caleigh. You and Byron Adam are the best things in my life. I'm lucky to have you two as siblings." I said, swallowing the invisible lump that formed on the back of my throat.

"Sunny," Caleigh wailed and hugged me tighter. "You get so ugly when you are about to cry," she laughed behind her tears.

Michael cleared his throat and placed his arms around us, embracing us in a warm and loving hug. "I love you, girls." He said, kissing my forehead and kissing Caleigh's lips. "We should get going if we want to be in Seattle by nightfall." He said and slowly let us go. Caleigh nodded and turned around.

"Let's go," she said, brushing her tears away. Michael helped her get inside the vehicle and walked around the SUV and got behind the wheel. Jordan was sitting behind the driver and Byron Adam was sitting behind the passenger seat. He motioned me to sit between them, so I jumped over my brother and rested my head on his chest.

"Buckle up, people," Mike said, as he backed out of the driveway.

I buckled my seatbelt and got comfortable. The drive to Seattle was fast, probably because I slept most of the way there. I woke up to Caleigh's soft voice, telling us to get out. I sat up and smiled at Jordan, who'd let me rest my head on his lap and then turned to thank Adam for letting me sleep.

We stepped out of the car and walked into a Motel 6. Caleigh and I were going to be sleeping together in the same room and the guys were sharing the room next to ours. It took forever to separate Caleigh from Michael.

"I love you," Michael Uley said, kissing her chin. "Dream of me, princess."

I felt a pang of jealousy, but it disappeared, when I saw my sister smile tenderly at him. "I always do, angel. Are you going to dream of me?"

"I can't wait to see you tomorrow again,"

"I love you so much, Michael."

"I love you more,"

"No, angel, I love you more," she cooed, kissing the tip of his nose. "You are so cute. I love you."

"Ugh," I groaned, placing the pillow over my face. "Caleigh, turn off the light. I'm sleepy," I whined, but she ignored me and continued kissing Michael Uley. I whined for almost twenty minutes and stood up.

"Where are you going?" Michael asked me, as he pulled away from Caleigh. "I'm leaving in a minute. I was just saying goodbye to my princess."

"Yeah, Sunshine, don't be so dramatic,"

"I'm leaving,"

"Where?" They asked simultaneously.

"To the next room," I said, narrowing my eyes. "I'm sleepy and I have to think of what I'm going to tell Caleb when I see him."

"You'll be fine," Caleigh said, as she nipped Mike's neck and snaked her arms around his waist and pressed her body to his. "You probably won't have to say a thing. He'll forgive you the minute he sees you."

"You think so?" I asked worriedly. "Because I let him down that night, when he told me that Marissa wasn't pregnant,"

"You'll be fine," Caleigh muttered, and began kissing Mike.

I rolled my eyes and grabbed my brother's pillow and stepped out of the room. I sat on the hall and waited for Michael to get out of the room, but the minutes turned into hours and I was zoning out. Their goodnight kisses lasted almost three hours, so I decided to go into the guys' room. I knocked on their door and waited for someone to open the door.

"It's open," Jordan said from inside.

"No, it isn't," I said, turning the doorknob, but it wouldn't budge. "It's closed."

"Hold on," Jordan said, a few seconds later, he opened the door and smiled down at me. "What are you doing here?" he asked, looking out into the hall and then resting his eyes on me. "Why aren't you in your room?"

"I'm sleeping here," I said, raising my pillow for him to see. He moved to the side, allowing me passage into the room and closed the door behind him. "There's only one bed."

"It's alright," I shrugged. "When there's thunder, I sleep with my brother and sister in the same bed. It's normal for us." I said nonchalantly, sitting on the edge of the bed. "Where's Adam?" I asked, looking around.

"He went to get some drinks from the soda machine," he said, sitting on the small couch next to the AC. "You don't get hot sleeping with a wolf?" he asked, knitting his eyebrows together. I shook my head and studied the room.

"I live with three wolves, remember?" I said, smiling at him.

"Yeah, I forgot," he said, rubbing the back of his neck.

"You can sleep on that side of the bed," I said, standing up. "I'm sleeping in the middle. I tend to fall off the bed, when I sleepwalk," I chuckled and sighed. "Adam can sleep on this side. Problem solved," I said and crawled to the middle of the bed and got under the covers.

Jordan laid beside me and I gestured him to extend his arm and I rested my head on it and stared at the ceiling. "Can I ask you a question?" he asked, veering his face to the side.

"Yes,"

"Why did you tell my brother that you didn't love him?" he asked curiously. "We all know that you are crazy about him."

"I was hurting. I didn't want to suffer anymore. He put me through hell that weekend," I said honestly. "I thought that it was the wisest thing to say. A part of me wanted him to suffer."

"I see," he said, resting his chin on my forehead, and his warm hand gently stroked my hair. I closed my eyes and tears began to well in them, but I didn't want him to know that I was crying for his brother. I didn't want to think sad thoughts. I wanted to believe what Caleigh had said earlier; Caleb was going to forgive me. He had to forgive me, because there wasn't a doubt in my mind that I would survive without him. "Are you getting sleepy?" Jordan asked.

I nodded and pulled the thick cover off me. "You are as warm as my brother," I said, yawning.

"I'm also a wolf, remember?" he laughed mirthfully. I took off my socks and snuggle closer to his warm chest. He placed the thin blanket on me and gently caressed my hair. "Don't worry about a thing, Sunshine. He's going to forgive you." He said knowingly.

"I hope," I mumbled, as closed my eyes and sighed. "I really hope so."

I wasn't completely asleep, when I heard Adam walked into the room. "Is she sleeping with us?" he asked quietly. I guess that Jordan nodded. "Did you caress her head?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Nothing. That's how she likes to fall asleep whenever she's sad or pensive," Adam said and I could feel the other side of the bed shifting under his weight. "Was she crying?"

"Yeah, she thinks Caleb won't forgive her."

"That's nonsense," he chuckled. "Did you tell her that you talk to him on the phone and that he plans to move closer to her?"

"No, she doesn't need to know yet."

"That's true," Adam sighed. "I want to see her happy face when he tells her himself."

"Those two deserve to be happy," He mumbled. "It would be a shame if they don't get together. I can't stand hearing my brother's drunken voice on the phone, when he wants me to tell him how she's been doing."

My brother laid on the opposite side and pulled me into his arms. "I hope he doesn't turn into an alcoholic."

"So," Jordan sighed and shifted on the bed. "When we were patrolling last week, you showed images of how Emerson and your uncle Byron died. How do you know that that's how it happened? I thought that no one was there to witness their death."

"I don't want to talk about it," Adam mumbled and moved in the bed. "It happened long ago," he growled.

"Another lifetime? You recall things that happened long in the past, don't you?"

"Good night, Jordan," he said, his body tensing. He kissed my forehead and moved, to what I believe was to turn off the light, because everything turned dark around me. "Good night, sis. I hope that you have sweet dreams." He said softly, as he gently played with my hair the way he always did, when he was worried or sad.


	13. Chapter 13

**Tangled in this Love**

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**All I Need**

Sunshine's POV

It took us almost three days to get to Chicago. After visiting the cemetery where Caleigh's biological father was buried, we continued on our road trip. Mom called Adam's phone and she spoke to him and then he passed the phone to Caleigh and me. Mom was glad that we were all together and to be honest, there was a mirthful tone in her voice, as she spoke. I felt the nagging feeling at the pit of my stomach - a strange sensation - that told me that she knew where we were going. Mothers are always intuitive. She had to have an idea, because she asked me a string of questions regarding Caleb.

"What would you do if you see him?" she asked. I could just picture her playing with her shoulder length hair and gnawing her bottom lip, the way she did when she knew that we were hiding something from her.

"I don't know, hug him?" I replied with an answer. "Ask him for forgiveness. I don't know, Mom."

"That's sweet. It's so you, sweetie. Don't hold a grudge against him. It's not safe. I should know..." she sighed. "You don't want to let bitterness into your heart. It's not good. It consumes you from the inside and basically destroys you." she said sadly, but then chuckled merrily. "What would you do if he wants you back? Are you going to give up on going to that music school in Seattle? What do you see yourself doing?"

"I don't know, Leah," I said irritated. "I don't know why you are asking me all these questions. Why are you asking me, MOM? Is that there? Is he the one behind all these interrogatives?" I asked alarmed.

"I can't tell you, Sunshine. It's a secret,"

"OK, how come you can't tell me, Mom? Is this about the music school?" I asked intrigued. "Did they call to let me know if I got accepted or not? Is that why you want to know?"

"I can't keep the secret anymore," Mom squealed and laughed loudly. I could hear my father's voice in the background urging her to tell me. "You got accepted. Your music instructor wanted me to keep it a secret until Friday, but I just can't! Congratulations, baby! There's a party for you and the other two that got accepted at your school. I'm so proud of you, Sunny. You are going to Seattle this fall, precious."

"I got accepted!" I screamed into the phone. Caleigh looked at me from the driver's seat and smiled. "Cal, Adam, guys, I got in to the music school!"

"Congrats," I heard the guys saying from the backseat. Caleigh placed a caring hand on my knee and nodded.

"You did it!" she said excitedly. "I'm so proud of you. I so knew you were going to make it. Pay up, Adam! You owe me five dollars!"

"Whatever," Adam mumbled.

"Leah, pass me the phone," Dad said, and then there was a shuffling sound, as Mom passed him the phone. "Honey," Dad said on the other line. "I knew that you could do it. I'm so proud of you. I know that you are going to do great in school this fall. You are smart and so responsible," The joy in his voice filled me with guilt. If he only knew where I was going... he would definitely kill me. "I can't believe that you are growing up so fast. I wish you could remain small, baby. Congratulations on making it to the school of your choice."

"Thanks, Dad," I said guiltily. "Thank you for suggesting that I take violin classes."

"Thank you, Sunny, for listening to your father." He said contently. "I'm going to let you go now. Have a great camping trip. Send me pictures,"

"We will, ciao." I said and closed Byron Adam's phone and handed it back to him. "I think Mom is on to us. Did you tell her where we were going, Adam?" I asked suspiciously.

"No, why would I?" he shook his head and snatched the phone out of my hand and grunted. "What makes you think that I told on you, retard? I'm not a freaking tattletale." he asked angrily.

"Hey, that's rude. What the hell is wrong with you? You've been fucking PMSing since yesterday" I asked, turning my torso to face the backseat. "Since we left Washington you have been rude and mean to me. Did I do something to offend you? If I did, I'm sorry."

"Sunshine curses? Nice," Jordan laughed.

"Just leave me alone," Adam grunted irritated. "I just want space."

"Well, in case you haven't seen," I paused, staring daggers at him. "We are in a car. There isn't enough room. Why don't you just suck it up and try to be civilized until we get to Chicago!" I screamed.

"Sunshine, let him be," Michael said, placing a hand on my shoulder. "He didn't get much sleep this morning. He's tired and he needs to be left alone. Jordan, stop asking him so many questions."

"I'm sorry, bro," Jordan said seriously. "But he knows things about Emerson that I need to know."

"It's none of your business," Michael said, causing Jordan to calm down. Well, he was the pack's Alpha after all. According to rumor, the Uleys were left as the Chief of La Push, since Jacob Black decided to retire to live his lifetime with his half human/half vampire wife. And he never had any sons to pass down the title of Chief. Michael Uley is the oldest of the Uley twin, thus he's been the alpha of the pack, since he turned eighteen years old.

"We'll leave Byron alone for now. But remember, squirt, you and I are having a serious conversation. You aren't going to like it, but we will. Got it?" Caleigh said annoyed. "We are going to spend the night in the next town. It's like a fifty or sixty miles away from Chicago." Caleigh said solemnly. "We'll stop at a hotel and Adam and the rest of us, are going to eat dinner and rest. Adam, you stop snapping at Sunshine. She's nothing to do with your anger and your- you know what I'm talking about. So stop being so annoying. Jordan, stop asking my brother so many questions. He doesn't recall anything. Sunshine, you stop worrying about Caleb not forgiving you. He will and you two will be happy. Just relax, OK?"

"I'm sorry," I said to my sister and brother. "I didn't mean to cuss."

"It's my fault," Jordan spoke up. "I've been asking him questions about things that he doesn't want to talk about." He said, shrugging.

"Is that true, Adam?" I asked.

"Just let it go," Adam said, rolling down the window and sticking his head out. "I don't want to talk. Just leave me alone."

I nodded and stared at my brother one last time before turning around to face the road. "OK," I said, biting the inside of my cheek to keep from screaming and pummeling his ass. Not a task that I would take on doing, but a good idea, nonetheless.

We pulled into a small town and Michael reserved two bedrooms. The room that he rented each had two beds, so it was going to be better for us, since we would have plenty of space to sleep comfortably. Adam, Caleigh and I shared a room. When we entered it, Adam threw his bag on the bed and rushed to the bathroom. After thirty minutes, he walked out of the bathroom, wearing his shorts and a towel draped around his shoulder.

"Are you ready to talk?" Caleigh asked haughtily.

"No," he said casually and flopped on his bed. "I just want to sleep."

"Fine, you can sleep after we eat. Get ready for dinner, Adam." Caleigh said rudely and grabbed the clothes she was going to wear and headed to the bathroom. "Treat Sunshine with respect. I mean it!" she said over her shoulder and slammed the door shut.

I winced when she slammed the door and then turned to my brother and then at the magazine that I was reading. I didn't like to meddle in my brother's affairs when he was acting as obnoxious as he was. It was rare to see him look so angry and even though, I wanted to know what was wrong with him, I didn't push on the subject and continued reading my magazine. When Caleigh came out of the bathroom, she had showered and changed into khaki Capri and a yellow polo shirt. Her long hair tumbled down her back and her expression was different from earlier. She looked radiant and in a good mood.

"Hurry up and take a shower, Sunny. We are going to go eat. Adam, get dressed and wait for Sun to finish getting ready and meet us at the restaurant on the corner, OK?"

"Sure," Adam said, his head resting on the pillow.

"Sun, take a shower and I'll meet you here." she said, walking to the night table to gather her purse. "I'll see you kids later." she said, kissing my forehead and kneeling on the bed, to kiss our brother. "Be good. I love you, guys."

"OK," I said, standing up and placed the magazine on the small table that was next to the bathroom door. My duffel bag was also next to the table and I crouched down and pulled out a summer dress and a jean jacket and underwear. I walked into the bathroom and took a quick shower. When I was finished getting dressed, I stepped in to the room and found Adam holding one picture in each hand. He shifted uncomfortably and quickly placed them inside his wallet and smiled wearily at me.

"Ready?"

"Yes, let's go. I'm hungry."

"Good, cause I'm starving," he smiled and together we walked out of the hotel.

Dinner was exquisite. I ordered five cheese lasagna and Italian salad. Caleigh, Michael, Jordan and Adam ordered some pasta-oyster special and we had a pleasant afternoon. When we were done, Jordan, Adam and I returned to the hotel and watched television. I got comfortable and placed my head on Adam's lap and watched that old movie "The Blind Side". It was nice to feel my brother's hand playing with my hair, because it meant that he was in a good mood. He played with my hand and I slowly drifted to a comfortable sleep. I tried to stay wake up when I heard Caleigh speaking, but it was impossible. I was so tired. The next day, I woke up; Caleigh and Adam were sleeping in the same bed as me. I was on the corner of the bed, Adam was in the center of the bed, one arm was protectively holding on to Caleigh and the other arm was around my neck. Jordan and Michael were on the other bed, snoring softly. It was normal to me to have Michael in the same room as us. He'd been like an older brother growing up. He was always protective and I guess that his love for Caleigh extended to my family, because he genuinely cared for my parents, Adam and me. Jordan, well, he was part of my family. He brought joy to my life and filled some of the gaps in my heart that his brother left inside me. He was also my constant reminder of Caleb's smile. I sighed and grinned bitter-sweetly, and went back to sleep, planting a tender kiss on my brother's cheek and on Caleigh. She smiled and muttered 'thank you' in her sleep. I laid in bed a few minutes thinking of Caleb, when I drifted back to sleep, until the alarm went on and we had to get ready for the rest of the drive to Chicago.

"We should be in Chicago by noon," Michael said, as we drove down the interstate. He chuckled and looked up at the GPS. "Yep, just 50 miles more."

"Awesome," Jordan said and pinched my cheek. "You better treat my brother right, midget," he said, pinching my nose.

"Stop that." I laughed happily. "I'll treat your brother kindly, I promise."

"No. Your brother better treat my sister right," Caleigh said, rolling her eyes at us. She was sitting on the backseat, braiding my hair. "She learned her lesson. He's the one that better not screw it up for her."

"They should treat each other with respect," Adam said nonchalantly from the front seat. "That's how relationships work."

"Wow, that's deep, bro," Jordan said, followed by everyone laughing, except Adam and me. Something in the way he spoke send goose bumps down my body. He was suffering and I could sense it. I watched his profile and I swear that I saw his eyes glaze with unshed tears. I turned to Caleigh and she placed her index finger on her lips and shook her head.

"It's the truth. Love should be treated with delicacy. If you force it, it will break and both hearts will suffer." He said solemnly, leaning his head on the headrest. "I should know. I made them suffer and in the end, all four hearts were broken."

I opened my mouth to respond, but Caleigh shook her head and turned serious. "I thought that if Michael and I came, this wouldn't happen, but it will." she said, her green eyes held a vacant stare. Michael stopped the car in the emergency lane and turned to face her. "Michael, I didn't stop it. It's going to happen."

**m(^_^)m **

_Caleb's POV_

I pretended to smile, even though, inside I was dead. I had no reason for living and there were days that I wanted to give up and just hope that I was one of those werewolves – like Emerson- that found death easily. I wanted to die and just forget about the hell I was living. To be honest, during the hours of the day, I didn't feel so bad. I went to work and made sure that I had extra stuff to do. The less time I had free, the less my mind wandered to Washington – to her. If I ended up thinking of her, I would end up depress and moody. The nights were the hardest – well, that was another thing. I barely stopped at my apartment. I was always out, drinking, wasting away my day or spending time with my best friend Steve. He'd moved from Washington to Chicago a few months ago, but I was glad to at least have someone to talk to. He wasn't aware of my secret and it was cool; I didn't feel like delving into the mystical world I belonged to. I didn't want to tell anyone of my problems, either. The only person that I could bitch about my suffering was my younger brother. He became my confidant and it surprised me. I never had that type of relationship with Emerson. He never wanted to talk to me – not that I can blame him. I understand what he must've felt when Marie Black denied him her love. He was destroyed, broken, and unlike him, I felt a bit in control. I wasn't always drinking. I didn't sleep around with anyone. I just tried to pass the time, until; hopefully, I would learn to completely live without my imprint.

"What's wrong?" Steve asked me, when I stared blankly at the beer bottle. "You've been down for the last three weeks. Is something wrong?"

I blinked and turned to look at him. "What? I'm sorry I was thinking of something else." I said confused, as I looked around.

"That's exactly what I mean," he chuckled. "You've been off it for a while now." He said, patting my shoulder. "Is there anything I can help you with?"

"Well," I paused, taking a sip of my beer and slamming the bottle on the table. "If you have a cure for a broken heart, let me know."

"Are you thinking of that girl again?" he asked, knitting his eyebrows together. "Dude, you should forget her. She chose to live without you… you should do the same." He said, shaking his head. "She isn't worth it if she can't see how great of a guy you are. She's totally screwing with your head."

"It's hard to forget her," I muttered, looking down around the restaurant. "It's so hard to forget her. She's my world," I said bitterly. "She's moving to Seattle. I think she wants to go into a music school there… Jordan told me that she – I forgot what he told me. He called last night… He was in Seattle with her. I miss her. I can't forget her."

"That's because you keep telling yourself that you can't forget her. Remember, the body does what the brain wants… You gotta be stronger, dude," Steve said and smacked the back of my head. "Caleb, I know that you had a horrible life. I remember you staying over at my house a few nights out of the week back in high school, but," he stopped and sighed. "Your life is different now. You are rich. Handsome. You have a great job. You've got me and your annoying brother. You can get any girl that you want. You can make a life without her. Don't let her destroy you like this."

"I don't want any girl," I said irritated. "I want her. I want Sunshine. I want my Sunshine. I want to marry her and make her my Sunshine Call. She should be mine, Steve. Why doesn't she want me? Marissa wasn't pregnant. She should've forgiven me. I-"

"Sunshine. I hate the name already," he said and drank the remaining of his beer. "I hate her already. Why don't you get back with that Marissa girl? She's willing to take you back."

"Marissa sucks,"

"That's what you need," he laughed. "A good blowjob from her and you'll be as good as new."

"No! She's not worth it," I said, narrowing my eyes. "She's the reason my life sucks. I should've never brought her to La Push. I should've gone alone and maybe this madness wouldn't have happened."

"What are you talking about?"

"Don't mind me. I'm just reprimanding myself. I suck." I said self-deprecating and motioned the waitress to come over to our table.

"How may I help you, sir?" she said softly, smiling down at us.

"Another beer, please," I said, raising my beer bottle. She nodded and turned to Steve. "He wants the same. In fact, bring me three more beers for me and one for my friend here, please."

"Alright, I'll be right back." She said, leaving the table.

"Are you planning on getting drunk?" Steve asked. "It's not even two in the afternoon, idiot."

"So," I shrugged. "I'm young and I barely drink. Let me live my fucking life. All you do is tell me what to do. " I said furiously, chugging down the rest of my beer. A few minutes later, the waitress came with two new bottles of beer and placed them on our table. "I said three beers,"

"That's fine," Steve said, taking the beers and smiling at her. "Don't mind him."

"Why should I thank her? She brought me the wrong number of beers, Steve,"

"I'll go get the rest," she said nervously.

"Now I can thank her. Thank you, waitress," I muttered, snatching the beer from Steve's hand. "Don't you dare stop me from drinking? Today is my day to forget my life."

"Dude," he said, knitting his eyebrows with concern. "You aren't going to turn into Emerson, are you?"

I narrowed my eyes and ignored his question. Emerson – the lucky bastard – he died and his misery ended in that instant. I sighed and guzzled the beer and reached for the beer bottles that the waitress had sat next to Steve's arm.

"Dude, you are done drinking." He said irritated. "You are going to end up like your brother. You have so much to lose, Caleb. You are the smartest of the Calls. Come on, get back in the game. You are barely twenty-nine years old. You can find a cute girl."

"I don't want to," I complained and looked out the restaurant's window. "I want Sunshine, but she doesn't want me."

"You said it yourself," he paused and snatched his beer bottle back from me. "You weren't meant for her. It wasn't meant to be; then it wasn't meant to be. Just live your life. C'mon. We are taking you home. No more drinking." He said and stood up. "Waitress," he said, raising his voice. The waitress came over to our table and smiled nervously at us. "Can I have the check, please?"

"Sure, one minute, please," she said, hurrying away from the table. Five minutes later, she came with the receipt and handed it to Steve.

"Dude, five minutes, my ass. If you don't know your math, don't tell people that you-"

"Shut up, Caleb. You are being a douche bag." Steve said, reaching for his wallet and pulled out a few twenty dollar bills and placed them on the table and gestured me to stand up. "Keep the change, sweetheart. You put up with his shit long enough." He said gingerly to the waitress. "Let's go, idiot."

"I'm not an idiot," I said annoyed. "I just want to get drunk and forget my stupid life." I slurred the words.

"It takes me six beers to get drunk and you've drank eighteen and you are barely drunk. What the fuck are you made of?" he asked, when he helped me get up. "Fuck, you are heavy." He whined, as he helped me out of the restaurant. "You are going to get a beer gut if you continue drinking senselessly, retard. People were staring at us, I wanted to punch the lights out of you, but I didn't mind them, because you've been there for me. That's what friends do, right?"

"I just want to forget, Stev-O,"

"I'm getting you a taxi." He said, shaking his head.

"I can drive," I slurred.

"No, sir," he said, chuckling. "You want to kill everyone in Chicago."

"I'm not drunk, retard," I complained and pushed him away from me. "I'm driving home."

"In your dreams," Steve said and took my keys. "I'm calling a taxi to drive you home. I'll take the keys of your Porsche and take them with me, just to make sure that you aren't dumb enough to drive drunk."

"I'm not drunk," I muttered, as we walked out the double doors that led to the street. "I'm just a little tipsy. Wolves don't get drunk. Give me a few minutes, and then I'm good."

"Shit, you are drunker than I thought. What the fuck are you talking about wolves? I have a date later with Lorraine and I can afford to be late, so get a move on, big guy."

"Lorraine Smith?" I asked. "Nice. She's stupid. She only laughs at jokes, because she wants to look smart."

"Yes, I know. That's the reason I'm going on a date with her. I need to score. You should do the same, Cal." Steve said proudly, as he dialed the numbers on his phone. "She played hard to get, but fucks, persistence is the key into getting a girl like her." He said, smiling smugly. "Hold on, I gotta make a call," he said, placing the phone next to his ear. "Hello! Yeah, hello, is this the cab service…" he said, placing his hand up. "Yeah, we are in front of La Barbecue Restaurant." He paused and nodded several times and smiled. "Yeah, sure. Thanks."

"Will they be here soon? I feel like walking down the park." I said, walking over to a street light post. He nodded and sauntered to my side. "I think I'm going to call her."

"Don't do it, Caleb," Steve said irritated once again. "She doesn't want you. She was cleared about it. Dude, it's been seven months since you've seen her. You don't know shit about her life anymore."

"I do," I said, raising my eyes to face him. "My younger brother is her best friend. He tells me everything about her. He keeps her safe for me. He's a great kid."

"Best friend?" he asked questioningly. "Since when?"

"Since I last saw her… and the summer," I said, smiling. "Jordan calls me every week to tell me about her. He keeps her safe. At least, I know that she's doing fine. She misses me, but she doesn't call me… why doesn't she call me, Steve?"

"I don't know," he shrugged. "Caleb, how old is this girl, anyways?" He asked intrigued.

"Younger than you and me," I chortled dejectedly. "Way younger. Too young to know what she wants to do with life. She's still in – it's none of your business… But you are right. She doesn't need me. Have I shown you a picture of her? She's cute. So freaking cute,"

"No, all you do is talk about her. I hated her from the first time you spoke about her." He laughed. "What are you waiting for? Show me a picture of her."

"Wait," I mumbled, reaching for my phone. I skimmed through the pictures that were saved in the phone's memory and stopped when I saw the picture she took of our first kiss. "This is her."

"That's her?" Steve guffawed loudly. "She's the girl that dumped you? You got dumped by a cutie,"

"She didn't dump me," I said in disdain, snatching the phone away from his hand. "You know that we weren't a couple."

"But she dumped you," he laughed loudly.

"She didn't, retard," I said angrily. "You get dumped when you're dating someone. I didn't date her, so I wasn't dumped. She just didn't give me an opportunity to prove myself to her. She didn't let me love her the way I wanted to love her. I would've given her anything she asked for. If I could, I would hand her the stars, the moon or the sun…" I breathed heavily. "It's all lost."

"She's cute, but she's not all that,"

"Yeah, she is,"

"Are you sure that Jordan isn't stealing your girl? She seems to be the same age as him. Don't you think that those two belong together? They are closer in age." he mocked. I glared at him and inhaled deeply.

"Jordan is a good guy," I said defensively. "He wouldn't do that to me. I'm his older brother. He wouldn't do anything to her or to me." I whispered. "He's a good boy."

"Look there's our cab," Steve said. Walking closer to the sidewalk. "Dude, I was only kidding. I know that your brother wouldn't do anything like that to you. He isn't Emerson."

"I know," I said, ambling to the sidewalk.

The cab driver parked the car next to us and we got inside. Steve told him the address to the apartment complex where I live. In less than twenty minutes he was parking the car on the opposite side of the street from the luxurious apartment complex I lived in. Steve got out and paid the fare. We crossed the street and at a comfortable pace we strolled inside the apartment lobby. We waited for the elevator and I ignored Steve's bantering. I shifted uncomfortably in my spot, when I felt the strange pull beckoning me to walk outside the building.

"It can't be," I said to myself, as I stared around, searching for the familiar face that my heart wanted to see.

"What's wrong?" he asked, as he turned around to search the lobby. "Are you looking for someone?" he said, as he followed my line of vision.

"I don't know," I said, sauntering out the gyrating doors. "I can't explain it, but she's here." I said, smiling for the first time in seven months.

"Eh?"

"You won't understand," I said, shaking my head.

Somehow my heart was guiding me towards her. She was near, I could feel it. The thought of having her in front of me made my heart leap. It's difficult to describe, but she was near me. She had to be, because my heart was doing summersaults inside my chest, restricting my air supply.

"Where are you going, Call?" Steve asked, as he sprinted after me.

"I have to go somewhere else," I said, running harder. I could hear his footfalls behind me, as he tried to keep up. I felt alive as the wind blew my hair. I reached the end of the street and waited for the light to turn red and I had access to cross to the other side. "She's here. I can feel her."

"Who's here?" Steve said breathlessly. He placed his hands on his knees and fought to catch his breath. "Whoa, damn. You run fast."

"I'm sorry," I said, looking down at him. "It's just an instinct."

"Sure, whatever. Instinct my ass. You've always been fast on your feet. You don't seem drunk anymore." He noticed.

"I have to go that way," I said, pointing towards the park. "I need to go there. Don't ask me why, I just know that I have to."

He nodded and stood up straight. We crossed the street and began sprinting over to the park. My heart was beating hectically and the knots in my stomach began to tighten. She was here. There wasn't a doubt about it. I looked around, hoping to find the face of my angel amongst the sea of unknown faces from the throng.

"Caleb?" A familiar masculine voice said from behind us. I turned around and found my cousin Michael Uley holding hands with Sunshine's sister.

She smiled brightly at me and ran up to me and stood facing me. "We were following you, idiot." She said, hitting me across the chest.

"We?"

"Yes," Michael said, grinning. "She's here. She couldn't stay away."

"Where is she?" I asked nervously, my stomach was churning, causing my bile juices bubble inside me. "She's really here?"

Mike and Caleigh nodded contently. "Your brother and my brother are here also."

"I have to see her,"

"She's at the park," Mike said, pointing north. "We sort of split, searching for your apartment. When Mike and I got there, they didn't let us inside. We sort of looked suspicious getting in." he said sheepishly, placing a hand on Caleigh's shoulder.

"Here," I said, handing them my apartment key. "Meet me there. I'll go and find them."

"Ok," Caleigh mumbled, smiling. "Be kind to her. She's nervous."

"I won't hurt her,"

"I know," she beamed, hugging her imprinter. "I know. Go and get her, Caleb."

"Come, Steve. Help me find them," I said, dragging Steve with me. "My apartment is 7-A. It's on the seventh floor on the right after you get out of the elevator. I'll see you guys later." I shouted over my shoulder.

I ran as fast as I could, every now and then, I would stop, trying to help Steve keep in cadence with me. I felt alive for the first time in such a long time. My lungs fought for air, as I broke into a rapid sprint, when I reached the park. I searched the many faces, and felt my heart sink inside my chest. I couldn't find her. I knew that she was close, because the pull in my soul was increasing.

"Dude," Steve said, pointing towards the hotdog stand. "Look over there. There they are!" he chuckled. "That's your brother! It's to be him. It looks like a younger version of you."

I didn't speak, but stared at Jordan eating a hotdog. There was another tall person in front of him, his back was to us, and so I didn't know who it was.

"Jordan!" I shouted, running over to him. The person that had his back to us turned around and I stopped. It was Byron Adam Brooks, Sunshine's younger brother. I halted and smiled like a stupid idiot, when I saw who stood between my brother and Byron Adam. It was her. She was eating an ice cream cone. Her hair was pulled into a messy bun; strands of wild curls framed her cherub face, when she stared at me.

"Caleb!" she shouted surprised, dropping the ice cream cone on the floor. She looked back at her brother and Jordan and then at the floor and quickly picked up the cone and walked over to the trash can. "Caleb," she said, turning to face me.

"Dude, that's the girl. Your girl." Steve said aloof. "What is she doing here?"

"I don't care," I said, smiling stupidly, as I watched her approach us. Her bun fell and her hair tumbled, as she walked closer to us. I tried moving, but I couldn't. My eyes were glued to her. She was beautiful. She'd grown a few inches and her hair was now shorter. Her curls danced with the breeze. I was petrified to the spot.

"Go up to her," Steve said, shoving me.

"I can't move,"

"You can't breathe, either," he jested.

"She stole my breath away," I said, smiling as I watched her nervously play with her hand. It felt like forever as she took infinitesimal steps to where I stood. "She literally stole my breath away, Steve."

"What are you gonna do now?" he asked. "Are you going to beg her to take you back?"

"I'm lending you my car," I said, reaching for the keys to my Porsche. "Here. Take them and leave." I said, handing him my keys and pushing him away. "I'll be fine."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes,"

"I'll stay," he said, crossing his arms over his chest and smiled haughtily at me. "I want to see what's so special about this girl."

"Everything," I said, narrowing my eyes at him. "She's my gravity. My world revolves around her. All that I am is for her. I'm whatever she wants me to be."

"You are being an ass if you ask me," he said coolly. "Stand straight. Here she comes. Shit, you smell like booze," he said, turning around to face Sunshine, as she came near us. "Who's that guy next to your brother? He's glaring at us."

"Shut up. He can hear you," I said, when Sunshine was a few yards away from me. "Be cool and be nice to her."

"I'm cool," he chortled. "You are the one that is acting like a teenager in love."

"I am in love," I defended myself. "She's coming. Shit, man. My heart hurts."

"Act cool,"

"I'm trying," I said, gritting my teeth. I was a nervous wreck. I took a step forward and stopped. "Sunshine,"

"Hi," She said, her lips curving into a wonderful smile.

"Hi, Sunshine," I mumbled anxiously. "Ho- what are you doing here?"

"I got a car from my parents," she said, looking around the park, avoiding eye contact. "I got it for being good and passing my driver's license test." She said quickly.

"Congratulations," I babbled. "Did all of you guys fit in your car?"

"Um, no, we – funny story," she said nervously. "Mike and Caleigh drove us here. We split up searching for you pad, but we got stuck in the park eating hotdog and ice cream. Just like in the movies." She said, rubbing the back of her neck timidly. "We sort of ran away to come and see you." She said, blushing. "Your parents are truly going to hate me after this. I stole your brother from them." She said, smiling sheepishly.

"She's a cutie," Steve whispered behind me. "It's going to rain. Invite her over to your apartment, idiot."

"Um, you want to come over to my apartment? Caleigh and Mike are there as we speak," I said, swallowing hard. "I – um, well, we can talk there." I said, turning around to point at the apartment complex building.

"Um, sure," she whispered, turning to face my brother and Byron Adam. "They can come too, right?" she asked shyly.

"Sure," Steve said, walking over to her. He linked her arm with his and started walking over to the apartment. I motioned Jordan and Adam to follow us. I waited for them to finish eating their hotdogs and followed me. I whirled around and saw Sunshine smiling politely at Steve and unlinking her arm from him. He nodded and gave me two thumbs up. I had to laugh; because that was the only thing I could do at the moment.

"I left Mike's SUV on the other side of the park. I have to park it closer," she said, her honeyed brown eyes gazing at mine. "Can the guys go with you?" she asked Steve.

"Sure," Steve said, rolling his eyes. "I'll babysit them."

"Adam, Jordan," I shouted. "Walk faster."

The boys came over. Jordan gave me a brotherly hug and Adam just shook my hand and glared at Steve. "I'm going with Sunshine to get her car. You two can go with Steve to my apartment."

"I knew that your apartment was near," Jordan said proudly. "Byron got us lost, so we stopped to eat hot dog in the park just like in the movies." He said, patting my shoulder. "How are you, bro? Hey, Steve!"

"Hey, Jor, you keep on growing and you might touch the sky," he said, looking from Jordan, Byron Adam and then at me. "Why are you guys so tall? Does this have to do with being Native American?"

The guys shrugged. "I'm doing well," I said, smiling at Jordan. "Listen, we can talk more in my apartment. I'll be there shortly." I said and turned to Steve. "Take care of them. They may look big and old, but they are barely fourteen and fifteen years old."

"For real?"

"Yeah," I snickered and turned my attention to Sunshine. "Are you ready?" I asked, offering her my hand. She looked at her brother and then at Jordan, and finally took my hand. Her hand was soft and petite. It fitted perfectly in mine. "We'll be back."

"OK," Adam said, waving at his sister. "Don't take too long."

"We won't," I assured him.

Sunshine and I remained standing there in the middle of the park, staring at Steve and the rest of the guys walked towards the direction of my apartment complex. I could hear her heart beating erratically and gave her hand a gentle squeeze.

"Should we go and get Mike's SUV?"

She nodded and looked down at our joint hands. "It's that way," she said, pointing at the direction of her vehicle, with her free hand. "I got lost. It might be somewhere else, Caleb." She said embarrassed.

"You didn't get lost," I smiled down at her. "You are exactly where you should've been, Sunshine." I whispered, dipping my head closer to hers and leaned my forehead against hers. "You are right where you belong." I said softly, touching her cheek with my free hand. "I missed you."

"I'm sorry," she said, her eyes glistening with tears. "I was a fool. I thought that I could live without you, but I was so wrong. I missed you too."

She snaked her arms around my neck and brought me closer to her, when her soft, full lips shyly touched mine. I cupped her face with my hands and steadied my lips on hers, savoring the wealth of tenderness that her lips evoked in me. She parted her lips, and I gently glazed my tongue over the curves of her lips, until she welcomed it in; eliciting soft moans from her.

"Caleb," she muttered into the kiss. "I love you." She said.

I broke the kiss, staring attentively into her eyes. This was a dream. Did she really love me? As if she knew what I was thinking, she giggled nervously and nodded.

"It's not a dream. I do love you. I drove over two thousand miles to see you. I risked everything just to be with you and to tell you that I'm sorry for hurt-"

I didn't let her finish. There was nothing to forgive. All the pain that I suffered in the last seven months seemed worthless. All the tears that I cried for her, were well deserved, because they made me realize how much I needed her in my life. I had her in my arms and that was all that I needed.


	14. Chapter 14

**Tangled In This Love**

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AN: This chapter is a little fluffy for my liking, but I had to write it. It's a filler chapter and I wanted you – the reader – to see how sincere Caleb's love for Sunshine is. I hope that you like it. Give me some loving and review!

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**Together Again**

_Caleb's POV_

It took us almost an hour to find where she'd parked Michael's SUV. I didn't mind walking around sunny Chicago. Nothing beat a cold spring day, than enjoying an evening with my own personal Sunshine. She was all that I needed. My heart ached with all the joy she'd brought back to my life. I was afraid that it was all a dream. I didn't want to wake up if that was the case. She made me feel alive and to be honest, nothing compared to the joy her company brought me.

"Wow," I said, laughing. "You made me walk all around downtown searching for Mike's SUV and it was parked behind the apartment complex where I live." I said.

"I'm sorry," she giggled nervously, as she pointed at the black vehicle with the Washington license plates that was actually parked behind Steve's Ford Escape. "I thought that it was further away from here." She said, her cheek tinting with pinkish hues. "We walked all around town and the freaking SUV was parked here?" she said shaking her head, a wide smile spread on her lips. "I'm sorry, Caleb."

"You don't have to apologize," I smiled, reaching for her hand. "It was nice to spend time with you, Sunshine." I said, watching as she bit the corner of her lips and looked up at me from under her eyelashes. "It's great to be around you. You make me happy. I've missed you."

"I've missed you too," she mumbled, looking down at the floor. "Caleb," she paused, her smile fading, and her forehead creasing.

"What?" I asked nervously.

"Thanks for being patience with me," she said, licking her bottom lip anxiously. "I know that I've not been the best person for you. I know that I've hurt you, Caleb, but – what I am trying to say is that, well," she sighed. "I've caused you a great amount of pain and if I was older and wiser and more mature, this wouldn't have happened. All the time that we wasted, because I-" she rambled on.

"Sunshine, Sunshine, baby, listen," I said, cupping her heart-shaped face in my hands. She inhaled and looked away from me. "Please, look at me. Just look at me," I pleaded. Her eyes slowly fell on me and I could tell that she was fighting the tears that were threatening to fall. "You don't have to say anything, princess." I said, kissing her softly on the lips. "It's all forgotten."

"No," she said, shaking her head. "My parents taught me to say sorry and I want to, because I hurt you. Mom always told me that if I was sorry, I should tell the person whose feelings I've hurt." She sobbed, blinking back the tears. "I want to say how sorry I am for hurting you. I thought," she stopped and clutched at the buttons of my shirt. "You see," she said, her eyes locked on mine.

"What's wrong? Tell me what's hurting you, princess." I said, raining soft kisses on her face. "Tell me what's wrong. I want to comfort you. I want to know how I can return your smile, love."

"Caleb," she said, gulping hard. "I thought that if I let you go, I would learn to live again, but it was hard. I couldn't breathe without you. My life was meaningless. You fill my heart with joy and I thought that if I kept my distance, I would survive, but I was dead without you."

"I was dead without you," I said, standing straight. I stared down at her and smiled, as she craned her neck to look at me. "I'm nothing without you. I know that the last time that we saw each other, I promised to honor your decision of staying away… but, I wasn't being honest. I was thinking of moving back to La Push. These past months were torture to my heart. I need you."

"You swear," she said, her voice breaking. "I don't think that I'll be able to forgive myself for causing your heart such pain-"

"Sunshine, hush, baby" I said, pulling her closer to me. "Don't apologize. I forgive you," I said, forcing a smile. "You didn't do anything wrong. I was the one that was at fault. I shouldn't have done many things. I should've stayed in La Push with you. I should've been there to see you grow up. I should've been stronger and fought against what your father said. I shouldn't left you," I trailed off and inhaled. "My life has been one mess after the other. I wish that I could take back all the mistakes that I've done and – I want to make it right. I want to make it right between us two."

She got on her tiptoes and pecked my lips with a chaste kiss and smiled tenderly at me. "You don't have to worry about it anymore. I forgive you." She said, gently. "You are here with me. You love me and I know that you won't ever hurt me again. We are going to make this work, right?" she said hopefully.

"I won't ever hurt you," I said, lowering my head to meet her lips. "I won't hurt you. I can't live without you. I need you so much," I said, taking her hand in mine and pressing it against my beating heart. "You make my heart beat so fast. I get nervous when I'm around you. You are my reason to be alive. We are going to make it work. I'll make it right for you."

"Caleb," she choked, as tears fell down her face. "Don't be so corny," she chuckled, kissing my lips. "You are making me cry." She said, sniffling. "I'm a total mess,"

"You are beautiful," I said, smiling down at her. "You are lovely, Sunny."

"If you say so," She chortled. "We should head back, right?" she said, stepping back, placing her hand on each side of my waist. "I don't want Caleigh or Adam to worry about me."

"Of course," I said, taking both of her hands in mine. "Before we go back inside," I said, pausing briefly. Her eyes were focused on me. "Can I ask you a few questions? I know the answer to them; I just want to calm my soul."

"Of course, Caleb,"

"Do you love me?" I asked, feeling like a child, as she scrutinized me with those honeyed eyes.

"I do," she whispered, nodding. "I love you with all that I am, angel."

"OK," I said, slowly letting go of one of her hands. "What grade are you in?"

"Tenth, why?"

"I want us to be together and soon,"

"And we will," she chuckled. "When I finish high school, we are moving to New York. We might even get married on the way to New York," she winked.

"We are?"

"Yes," she nodded. "If you want to, of course."

"I do," I said quickly.

"Good," she sighed in relieved.

"Do you plan on still going to Julliard?"

She glanced at me and then nodded. "Yes, that's part of my plan. I got accepted to the music school in Seattle. Since I got accepted, I have a higher chance of getting a scholarship from them to attend Julliard after I graduate. Why do you ask?" she asked puzzled.

"Well," I said, scratching my chin with my free hand. "Jordan told me about your plans of going to Seattle and then applying to Julliard. I was just curious. You really don't need a scholarship, honey."

"He did?" she said, raising an eyebrow. "What else did that dumb idiot tell you?"

"Many things," I laughed. "Angel, I can pay for your tuition. I have properties in New York. I can get a job there and you don't have to worry about anything. I'll-"

"I told him not to tell you," she pouted, stomping her foot on the ground. "He can't keep that trap he calls a mouth shut, can't he? Wait- what did you say?"

"It's not his fault," I said, biting my lip, as I saw her smile spreading.

"No, not that!" she said, biting her bottom lip.

"I can pay for your tuition?" I asked confused.

"I can't accept that, Caleb," she said, shaking her head. "If the school doesn't give me the scholarship, then my parents can pay for it. My parents are well off, Caleb. It wouldn't be a problem for them. I wouldn't want you to worry about that." she said timidly.

"Nonsense," I said. "I'll pay for it. All the money that I have is for you. I don't mind spending it on you. I would be delighted to use it on you, angel."

"I can't accept it,"

"I want to do something for you," I said, sighing.

"We'll talk about it later," she whispered, shaking her head. "Why did Jordan open his mouth? I told him not to tell you anything. That evil ex-best friend," she teased.

"It's not his fault," I said, staring down at her. "I begged him to tell me about you. He was the only connection I had to you. I practically harangued him." She shook her head playfully and just offered me the most breath-taking smile I've ever seen. I wanted to kiss her, until she begged me to stop. I wanted to hold her forever and never let her go, because I was afraid that this was a dream and soon morning would come and I would have to wake up. "I begged him to. I was desperate to know about you. If it wasn't for the few images that he shared about you with me, then I wouldn't have survived."

"I'm sorry," she said, rubbing soothing circles on my arm. "It was hard on me too." She whispered, tilting her head to the side. "I got busy with school and the violoncello kept me busy too. I won a scholarship to a prestigious music school in Seattle." She said sheepishly. "I thought that being away from my parents, La Push and everything would help me forget you… or at least, mitigate the pain in my heart. You know, make it easy for me."

"Did it work?" I asked jestingly, pressing her closer to me. She shook her head and giggled behind her tears. "It didn't work, Ms. Beautiful?" I said, kissing her forehead. "I tried working extra hard, but it didn't work either."

"I'm glad that it didn't work," she said, caressing my chest. "You belong with me."

"I do, Sunshine. I'm yours." I said, kissing her ever so softly. "Come on; let's get back to the apartment. I don't want your siblings to think that I stole you." I chuckled, taking her hand in mine and together, we made it back to the apartment. She told me about her decision to study in Seattle and how hard she worked to get accepted. She told me of her fears and how afraid she was that this was a dream.

"It was about time," Steven said, opening the door to my apartment. "I thought that you were leaving me alone with this people." He joked, stepping aside, to let Sunshine and I walked in to the door.

"I see," I said, waving at my brother, who was raiding the fridge. He waved back and handed Byron Adam an apple. "I forgot to go grocery shopping."

"It's fine," Michael said, as he devoured a sandwich. "We can go grocery shopping later. We are staying until next Friday." He said nonchalantly, chewing on his food. "How many bedrooms does this apartment have?" he asked, looking around at the room.

"Three," I said.

"Good," Caleigh said contently. "Sunshine and I can sleep in one. Mike and Byron can sleep in another. You and Jordan can share a room, Caleb." She said chirpily.

"That's a good idea," I nodded. "Except," I paused, catching her attention.

"Except?"

"I don't have beds in the other bedrooms,"

"What?" Jordan asked annoyed. "We came all the way to see you and you don't have a bed for the girls or your brother?"

"I didn't know that you guys were coming!" I protested.

"I called," Jordan said. "I left a message." He said irritated, as he shoved a piece of meat in his mouth. "I left various messages too."

"When?" I asked puzzled.

"A few hours ago," he shrugged.

"A fe-few hours ago?" I stuttered. "That was today! I have been out all day!"

"He was drinking!" Steven said behind me.

"Drinking?" Michael asked, raising an eyebrow. "Why?"

"Because of her," Steven said, pointing at Sunshine. "He's been downhill since he came back from La Push." He said, shaking his head.

"Mind your business, Steven." I uttered furiously.

"It's the truth," he shrugged and leaned against the wall. I turned to Sunshine and saw her smile had faded. I walked over to her and hugged her. "You two are fine now. But your little love won't last. Caleb," he said furious. "She's a little girl. She's not what you need." He mumbled.

"Come on, Steve," I sighed. "Don't be like that. You don't know Sunshine. She's sweet and kind." I said, shaking my head.

"I don't need to know her," he scoffed. "I was there to see you suffering for her."

I hugged Sunshine and kissed the crown of her head. She looked up at me with sadness in her eyes and smiled at her. "I love you. That should be all that matters, love."

"Steve, why do you have to be like that?" Jordan said, narrowing his eyes. "Sunny is an amazing person. Yes, she made a decision that wasn't the correct one… She ended up getting hurt and hurting my brother. Both of them were dumb, if you ask me." He said, turning around to look at Mike and Caleigh. They both nodded and he sighed. "But, she is all he needs," Jordan said softly. "She's all that he needs. Those two complement each other. You wouldn't understand. What they have is true love." He mumbled, looking down at the food that was in front of him.

"I'm leaving," Steve said, turning around and exited the apartment.

I kissed Sunshine's forehead and slowly let her go. "I'm going to have a serious talk with him. He's drunk! Don't mind his words. I love you and I'm glad that you are here. I'm so happy that you came to see me. I am ecstatic to have you near me, love. I love you. Remember that, alright?"

She nodded and forced a smile. "I will."

I turned around and excused myself, trekking after my best friend. "Dude, what the fuck was all that about?" I asked him annoyed. "Why did you have to open your yap? Can't you keep your opinions to yourself?"

"No! Someone had to set that little girl straight. Just because she's spoiled and rich doesn't mean that she can get away by hurting you, man," he said, shaking his head. "She hurt you – practically ripped out your heart from your chest and you take her back. She pushes you away and now comes back, because she needs someone to torture and what better person than Mr. Kind-hearted Caleb."

"You don't know her," I spat. "She's not the evil girl that you've painted her to be. She's sweet, kind and so loving. She gives herself in all that she does, Steve. She's an angel. Yes, her past decision affected me, but she is here, beside me and I've never been this happy. I love her. And yes, there's a big gap between our ages, but you know what," I said, pacing around him in the hall. "If my parents made it work, so can I. I care for her and she makes me happy. If she asked me to give her my life, I'll do it without a second thought. I love everything about her. I love the fact that she's just figuring out her life. I love the sparkle in her eyes when she looks at me. I'm glad that she's corky and shy, because that's what sets her apart from the rest of the girl. I love how she loves me, without measuring herself, instead, she just gives me all of her. I love her smile and her little mannerisms. Damn, Steve, I love everything about her and I'm afraid that it will ever stop. I see myself married to her. I see us having a large family and creating traditions... Please, Steve, stop this now. I don't want to have to chose, because you know my answer. Have you ever been in love?" I asked him, as I raked my fingers through my hair. "Have you ever been truly in love?"

"Yes," he muttered. "I've been in love and I've also been hurt. I've experienced what it can do and I've seen what it did to you."

"She's my better half," I said, and stopped pacing. "She makes me complete. I wish that you could see it. She's everything to me."

"I don't think that I understand," he said, placing a hand on my shoulder. "But I can tell that she makes you smile like an idiot. She reminds me of a little girl that came to the restaurant we worked that summer in La Push," he chuckled. "You smiled like an idiot, until that grumpy man took her away from you. You weren't the same from that day on. "

"I remember," I sighed, and turned to look down the hall and saw Sunshine looking at us. "I remember that day, Steve."

"That little girl didn't stop crying for you," he sighed and leaned one hand on the wall. "I wonder what happened to her. She must be sixteen or older, right?" he pondered. "Do you think she's happy?"

"I think that she is," I said, my eyes resting on Sunshine's face. "And, Steven, Sunshine is my life. If you really want to see me happy, bro, treat her with respect. She's done anything to you. If she did break my heart it's in the past. I forgive her."

"I hope that she doesn't crumble your heart again," he said slowly. I turned briefly to look at him. "Because I won't forgive her."

"She won't hurt me, Steve," I said, a goofy smile on my face, when I saw her mouthed that she wouldn't hurt me again.. "I know that she won't. I know that this time, everything will be different."

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AN2: Steven is a little annoying, but he is Caleb's best friend and you have to look out for friends, right? So, cut him some slack and put yourself in his shoes. I'll be posting more soon.


	15. Chapter 15

**Tangled in this Love**

AN: Life happens! 0That's all I have to say for the lateness on posting this chapter. And because I have kept many people waiting, I am posting more chapters later in the week. Enjoy!

**xxXXXXxx**

_Sunshine's POV_

It was a little past midnight, when I heard the shuffle of feet against the hardwood floor and then a loud hiss. I opened my eyes, adjusting them to the dim light of the moonlight filtering through the windows and sighed. I sat up, startled, when I noticed that I wasn't in my room. I looked around and suddenly remembered that I was sleeping in Caleb's bed. He'd offered it to Caleigh and me the previous night.

_"You should sleep in my bedroom," Caleb said nonchalantly, nodding his head at Caleigh._

_"Oh, no, we couldn't do that to you," I said. Caleigh nodded and hugged her boyfriend, Michael. "We can sleep on the air mattress."_

_"Princess," Caleb said, shaking his head. "You are sleeping in my room. Caleigh, so are you. I don't want to hear anything else about the matter. The girls sleep in my room, the guys can sleep on the floor for all I care."_

_"I call dibs on the couch!" Jordan shouted from the living room._

_"Nope," Adam said, shaking his head._

_"Where are you going to sleep?" I asked him worriedly. He smiled at me and cupped my face in his and caressed my cheek with his thumb. "Where are you going to sleep, Caleb?"_

_"I'll sleep on the floor or on the sofa," he said, kissing the tip of my nose. "You should share the same bed with Caleigh. It's a king size bed, so you'll sleep comfortably."_

_"But," I paused, biting my bottom lip. "I can sleep on the sofa. I don't have a problem. I don't want to-"_

_"Sunshine, relax," he said, hugging me. "I want you to have the bed. You'll be comfortable. You've been traveling for such a long. I want you to have a good night's rest, sweetie. Please, don't make me feel bad, princess." He said and with the kiss that followed, I was convinced to sleep in his bed._

I listened to the sounds coming from the living room and quickly removed the covers off me and with my hand, searched the bed for Caleigh's warm body. When my eyes finally adjusted to the dimness of the room, I noticed that Caleigh wasn't in bed. She probably left the bed a few minutes after I fell asleep. She would do that back home, whenever I was sick or scared. Sometimes, she was so stressed out from not spending enough time with Michael that she would sneak out of the house and fall asleep next to her guardian wolf. It was a tender display that grew irritating with the passing of the years. But, what could I do?

I got off the bed and reached for my black and pink hoodie that was thrown on top of my duffel bag. I put it on and walked over to the door. I exhaled noisily and gently turned the doorknob and walked down the hall, until I could see that the light in the kitchen was on. I suddenly felt the pull calling me to him. I smiled and bit my lip in anticipation, as I ambled over to the kitchen.

"Caleb," I whispered, one hand flew over to my lips and the other over my heart, when I saw Caleb's standing in front of the fridge wearing only loose sweatpants that clung to his masculine waist. One hand was grasping the door of the fridge and the other hand rummaged through the pulling food items from inside and setting them on the counter, as he sighed in irritation.

"You shouldn't be up, Sunshine," he said, his gaze fixed inside the fridge. "It's still midnight." He said, a smirk on his lips as he turned to face me. "It's late, princess. You need to sleep. I don't want you to feel tired tomorrow."

"I'm not sleepy," I lied, reaching my eye with one hand and sighed sleepily.

"Liar," he said solemnly, his muscles shifting under his bronze skin, as he turned he stood straight and veered to face my direction. In one hand he had a plate of fried chicken and the other hand was still grasping the fridge door.

"I'm not lying. I'm just a little, um," I said defensively, placing my hands on my hips. "I couldn't sleep with all the noise coming from the kitchen," I said, approaching the table.

"I'm sorry. I didn't meant to wake you up," he chuckled softly and returned to raiding the fridge. "You should go back to bed, though," He said, looking back at me. "It's late and tomorrow we are driving to the amusement park. It's a few hours from here and we have to leave early in the morning. I want you to enjoy the outing, sweetie."

"Caleb, I will. I just, um," I muttered, resting the palms of my hands on the brim of the table and hesitantly sauntered a little closer to him, but stopped in the island counter that was in the middle of the kitchen. "Do you need help with anything?" I asked, as I watched his movements. "Are you hungry? I can whip you something good to eat."

"Nah, there's plenty of food in this massive fridge. I just need to be decisive." he said calmly. "I was thinking of the dinner that you made last night or the lunch you made. They were both good…"

"I suggest that you eat the dinner I made last night," I smiled.

"Then," he said heartedly. "I'll just eat this." He said, raising the leftover plate of the previous dinner.

"I don't mind making you something else," I said, offering him a radiant smile.

"You are fine, baby," he laughed. "You are spoiling me with all this good food."

"OK, then," I said, standing in my spot. "How come you aren't sleeping, baby?"

"I couldn't sleep. There's too much temptation with having you in my room," he teased, biting his lower lip sensually. "Anyways. I got hungry, so I stood up from the couch and almost tripped over Jordan's sneakers. He left his tennis shoes in the living room and when I stood up, I almost cracked my head and broke my neck. Sometimes, that kid can be just like, um," he paused and shook his head. "Forget it," he said annoyed. His pleasant demeanor changing to an irritated one.

"No, I want to know what you were going to say," I said, rushing to his side.

"It's not important," he said seriously and turned back to the fridge and picked out another tray of leftovers from the lunch Caleigh and I had made the previous afternoon. "I don't want to bore you." He said, placing the tray on the counter and walked over to the drawer and pulled out a knife and fork. "Sunny, baby, you should go back to bed. It's really late."

"No, I can't sleep. There's too much temptation knowing that you are in the living room, sleeping alone," I said quietly, staring down at my opened palms resting on the table. Caleb looked at me, an impish smile on his lips. "Your chest is exposed," I blurted, causing me to blush.

"I know," he said nonchalantly, looking down at his chest. "I always sleep like this,"

"I lik- um, I am not sleepy anymore." I whispered, my eyes fixed on his rippling muscles. I've always seen Caleb dressed in formal clothes and in polo shirts and khakis, but I've never seen his glorious chest. I'd never noticed how well defined his muscles were or the way his muscular legs moved. I held my breath and looked down at the floor, hiding my inexplicable blush. I so wanted to run my hands down his muscular chest. I wanted to explore every dent and valley of his body. "I want to be here with you. You need me; you look like you could use a friend," I said, taking a few steps towards him and reached my hand to touch his elbow. He suddenly tensed and relaxed under my touch. "Talk to me. You seem annoyed or irritated by something. Is it me? You can tell me, Caleb. I won't be mad at you or judge you. What's wrong? Talk to me."

"Nothing," he forced a smile. "I'm not mad at you, so don't worry, alright?" he said tenderly. "You didn't do anything wrong. I'm just mad at Jordan's carelessness. I almost broke my neck thanks to his shoes." He said, chuckling nervously.

"Don't lie to me. Something else is bothering you, angel," I said, wounding an arm around his waist. I inhaled his pleasant scent and tentatively placed my other hand on his chest. I looked away from him and tried to hide my embarrassment. "Tell me what's wrong."

"Why are you trembling?" he asked, changing the subject. I looked up at my hands and noticed that I was trembling. Could it be the proximity of our bodies? I quickly dropped my hands to my sides and took a step back. "What happened?"

"Don't change the subject, Caleb," I said haughtily, pulling out a chair and sitting on it. "There's something on your mind. Talk to me,"

"Fine," he sighed and took the covers off the plates of leftovers and sighed loudly, walking over to the microwave. He placed the food in the microwave and pressed some buttons and then turned around to face me as he waited for his food to get heated. "I've been thinking about many things."

"And?"

"Well," he paused and scratched his chin. "How do you feel about me? You love me, but do you want me in your future?"

"I don't get it,"

"Sun," he paused and sighed. "Do you want me to be with you after high school? Do you want to marry me? Am I ever going to- see this is too much pressure to place on someone as sweet and delicate as you."

"Caleb," I laughed. "I love you," I said, smiling at him. "I'm crazy about you."

"You are crazy about me, now! But what about-"

"You still haven't forgiven me about my decision seven months ago, haven't you?" I asked worriedly, when I looked up at him. "You don't trust my love for you?"

"I do," he chuckled, walking over to where I was sitting. "I just like hearing that you love me. I know that you love me… But, is it just an infatuation? Do you think that your love for me is solid? Concrete? Ready to withstand our families' opposition? My parents are against you. Your father hates me. People at La Push blame me for a death that I didn't cause. They tell me that I could've stopped it, but how could I? I didn't know how, baby. I really don't want, I mean, you have to sneak around just to see me. I'm not the best person for you, but I can't be apart from you. I want to know, how you truly feel about me!"

"I love you," I said, holding his gaze. "I adore you. I want to be with you. I want to-"

"You want what?" he asked intrigued, crossing his arms over his chest. "Why don't you finish what you've started?" he asked mischievously.

"Because," I shrugged. "I want you to be my first and only love."

"Are you sure that's it, Sunshine? Is that all that you wanted to say?" he said, tilting his head to the side to have a better view of my face. "Tell me,"

"This isn't about me," I said testily. "We were talking about you, not me."

"It's about you and me. It's about our relationship,"

"We don't have a relationship, Caleb," I smiled slyly, crossing my hands together.

"What do you mean? You and I are soul mates," he said, knitting his eyebrows together. "We belong together. We kiss- heck, we tongue kiss, right?" he asked a bit irritated, his words caused me to blush. I nodded and leaned against the back of the chair. "We hold hands, tell each other how we feel for one another, and to you, we don't have a relationship? There must be something very wrong with me, because I thought that you were my girlfriend. I thought that we had something together."

"I didn't know that I was your girlfriend." I said casually.

"I see," he said, lowering his arms. "So, in your head, we aren't boyfriend and girlfriend?" he asked incredulously.

I shook my head and looked down at my hands. "So, how are you going to fix this, Caleb?" I asked, as I lifted my head to gaze at him. "You have the power to make me happy,"

"I do?" he asked indifferently and took another step closer to where I sat and leaned against the table. "I wonder what you are expecting of me," he asked in a playful tone.

"Surprise me," I shrugged.

"Okay, I can do that," he laughed heartedly. "Sunshine Marie Brooks," he said, walking closer to where I sat. "Do you, my princess, my angel, my life, and love," he chuckled, kneeling beside my chair and pulling me in to a tender embrace. "Want to be my girlfriend?" he asked, pouting. "Please," he said childishly, carefully, pushing me away from, until he could see my face. "Did I do well? Is that better for you?" he asked, batting his lashes.

"Excuse me?" I asked dreamingly, as my eyes focused on his lips.

"Did I ask you out properly?" he chuckled. "You should see your face, baby. You look like you want to kiss me,"

"Evil," I said, sighing in relief and snaking my arms around his neck. "I thought that you were angry at me."

"Oh, no, I am not mad at you. I was just teasing you," he said, taking my hand in his. He kissed my cheek softly and with his free hand caressed my arm. "I love you. I don't know what I did to deserve such an amazing person like you. I love you so much. I-"

"I love you too," I interjected.

"Sunshine," he said, tracing lazy circles on my cheek with his thumb. "Would you consider me weak if I tell you that I can't live away from you? Would you hate me if I tell you that I want to move back to Washington?" he asked seriously.

"No," I said, clasping his face in my hands. "No, no, I would never consider you a weakling, angel. No, don't think like that about me. I would say that you are doing my heart a favor."

"I," he stopped and hid his face with my hands. "I don't want to live here anymore. I dread the idea of watching you leave my side again," he said quietly.

"It's not like I want to, angel," I said sadly.

"I know," he forced a smile. "I want to move wherever you go. I want to be near you. I don't want to be alone again, Sunny. I'll move back home if I have to. I'll start anew. I want to become a better person for you. I don't want to be an outcast anymore,"

"What do you mean by that? Why do you consider yourself an outcast?"

"Everything that I've been through and all the things that I've done in my life are the actions of a coward and an outcast."

"No, don't say that," I sniffled, as I dried the tears that were falling down my face with the back of my hand. "You aren't a coward, Caleb. I know how it feels to want to run away from all your problems and- I love you. We can fight our families. Our love is greater than their opposition. We can make this work."

"We can," he said, kissing me. "I love you."

"I want to be with you," I whispered. "I want you to be with you so bad. I want to see you everyday… but at the same time, I don't want to be dependent of you. I want to be able to be myself too. But," I sniffled and sobbed, swallowing the bitter taste that the memories of seven months without him left in my mouth.

"And you will be yourself. I won't ever want to change you, Sunny," he said, leaning forward. He grabbed my temples and dipped his head, until our faces were mere inches apart. "You are so beautiful." He said, scanning my face, a smile plastered on his face, as his eyes scrutinized me. I felt small in his eyes, but the moment his thumb wiped a lonely tear that was strolling down my cheek, I saw the depths of his love for me. I didn't have any doubt that I belonged with him. All my expectations vanished and instead, an entire way of loving him surged in my heart. "I want you to dictate how you want us to be. I'll follow the tune of your heart, Sunshine. I'll be what you want me to be. I won't force you to be something that you are not. I don't want to take away your essence." he stopped and leaned closer, giving me a chaste kiss on the lips. "I love you," he mumbled, his hand tucking strands of hairs that fell over my face. "I've missed many things in your life," he said remorseful. "And I regret not having the type of relationship that Caleigh and Michael Uley have. I didn't see you grow up. I didn't kiss you good night when you were a baby. I didn't fight for you, but I promise you, that from here on, I am so going to fight for you. I'm going to, because I need you. I want us to be able to confide in each other. You are my better half, and damn it! I better work hard on making our relationship work." he said sadly. "I've been thinking about, um, moving closer to you," he said, resting his forehead against mine.

"You want to move to La Push?"

"Yeah," he nodded. "Even though I hate it," he chuckled.

"You can't hate La Push. I'm from La Push," I giggled, removing my hands off his face. I forced him to look at me and kissed his forehead. "You are from La Push. Our ancestry, our families, and our lives started in La Push. We should be grateful for that. There's nothing wrong with home."

"I don't want to just return back home," he confessed. "I want to change, baby. I want to get along with your family, for the sake of our future. I want to give my parents another chance. I want to establish a relationship with my father. He's getting old and he's not getting any younger. He's not as strong as he used to before he stopped phasing. I also want to," he trailed off and kissed me softly on the lips, glazing his tongue over my parted lips. It was warm as it entered my mouth and explored inside. I grasped on to his shoulder, moaning softly into his mouth. He pressed his chest closer to mine and embraced me tightly, deepening our kiss. "I love you,"

"I love you too," I said breathlessly, blushing, as I stared deep into his mesmerizing gray eyes. "You are doing the right thing," I whispered, raining gentle kisses on his face.

"Do you think?"

"Yes," I nodded. "Jordan needs you. He's always at our house, eating our food." I giggled.

"He is?" he laughed and smiled. "My little brother is great." He said proudly. I nodded and pulled him into a tight hug. "The way Jordan and I get along – I wanted Emerson to be my friend. Shit, I wanted to be able to speak to him the way that Jordan and I talk. We get along so well; you could call us kindred spirits. I want to see him grow up into the great person that he'll become. I don't want him to have to pick up a phone just so he can reach me. I want to be there for him. I want to set things right with my family,"

"Awesome," I said, cupping his chin in my hand and kissed the corner of his lips. "You are amazing. I'll help you… I don't know how, but I'll help you!"

"I haven't told you something. It's supposed to be a secret," he said, lifting his head closer to mine. "Jordan's shoes don't really bother me." he chortled. "In fact, I used to do that all the time and Emerson would be bothered by it."

"Emerson?"

"Yeah," I watched him sighed. "He wasn't such a bad guy after all, babe. He was just misunderstood, I guess. No," he stopped and chuckled silently, pulling away from me and sitting on the floor. He spread his legs around the chair and brought it closer to his, until his chin rested on my knee. "Emerson was stubborn, just like our mother. I guess that I am too. Jordan is more compassionate and kind. He resembles my father. He was kind enough to listen to me, after we met fourteen years later." He scoffed. "He was mad at me for making you cry. He's really protective of you."

"He's nice," I said, caressing Caleb's face. He rested his head on my lap and brought his arms around my waist and inhaled deeply. "What's wrong? There's something bothering you. You can tell me."

"I know that you love me," he said, tilting his head to the side. "I don't want to lose you," he said against the fabric of my pajamas. He lifted his head up, until our eyes met. "You leave in two days, Sunshine. I don't know what I'm going to do without you. I've been thinking of ways to leave this life behind and just follow you. I don't care if I have to live in the woods as a wolf. I'll do it, just to be near you."

"Don't talk like that," I said, stroking his hair with my hand. "Caleb, we need to speak about these sorts of things together. What about our promise to talk to each other?"

"I know," he said. "It's just that – well, I have all this different things in my head."

"Like what?"

"I love you," he said, staring at the floor. I got off the chair and sat between his legs, ignoring the beeping of the microwave, indicating that the food was hot already. "And I also know that when you enter that new high school," he stopped and inhaled deeply. "There might be other guys in your life. I just want you to know that I'll be here for you."

"Stop saying stupid things like that," I said, swatting him on the arm. "I don't want anyone else. I don't want anyone's lips. I want yours," I said, cupping his face and kissing him hard on the lips. "I don't want anyone else, but you. You are going to be my first in everything. You were my first kiss. My first love, my first heartbreak and soon, in the future, my first and only lover, Caleb."

"What?" he beamed, when he looked at me. "You mean to say that I was your first kiss?"

I nodded and sat on his lap. "You were the first guy that I held hands with," I smiled. "You were my first and are my only love. I doubt that I'll ever get tired of you. You are everything to me. I feel complete when you are near me."

"I'm sorry for breaking your heart,"

"You can make it up to me," I smiled.

"How?" he asked, placing his hand on the small of my back and the other hand on the nape of my neck, as he held me steadily. "Show me, please. I want to know how I can make it up to you."

"Kiss m-" I began, but his tender lips were already on mine, kissing me feverishly, molding against mine, his tongue prodding my parted lips. I could get used to this delicious moments with him.


	16. Chapter 16

**Tangled In This Love**

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**Meeting Her**

_Sunshine's POV_

I giggled when I felt Caleb's arms around me. The heat of his body, created a comfortable cocoon around us. I felt happy, protected, and so excited. It was my first time sleeping in his arms. It was all so new to me.

"What's so funny?" Caleb whispered next to my ear and kissed my temple. "Did you sleep okay?"

"Better than I thought," I smiled, turning to my side, so I could face him. "I have to get up, don't I?"

"Yeah, we have to get ready for today," he said a bit irritated.

We remained in the sofa for a few more minutes and reluctantly got up. I went to his bedroom and found the bed empty. Caleigh didn't sleep in it. I sighed and walked over to my duffel bag and picked out the outfit I was going to wear that day. I picked a pretty jean mini skirt and a yellow polo shirt that according to Caleigh made me look bustier. I got in the shower and washed my hair. When I was done, I got dressed and put my hair up in a perfect ponytail and rushed to the kitchen.

"Where were you?" I asked Caleigh, when I saw her sitting on the chair, eating cereal. "You didn't sleep in the same bed as me."

"I went for a walk," she said, not even looking at me. "I couldn't sleep."

"Were you alone?"

"No," she said, her mouth full with oats. "Michael came with me. Did Adam wake up?"

"No," I said, shaking my head. "He's still asleep. Are you alright?"

"I am,"

"Then, what's wrong?" I asked, walking over to the table and sat across from her. "What's wrong, Cal?"

"I saw her," she said, placing her spoon beside her bowl. "She is bound to meet him."

"Who?" I asked in a low voice. "Is it Marie Black?"

She nodded and leaned back on her chair. "Timothy is flying here today. He's imprint, Mia Black is coming with him, and her sister tagged along."

"Mia Black? I don't know her," I said confused. "She's Marie's sister, right?" I asked intrigued. "What's the problem with Marie meeting our brother? He's not Uncle Byron. He has recollection of some of our uncle's memories, but he's different. He's our brother!" I said, shaking my head nervously. "He's seen Brittany and he didn't imprint on her. Well, maybe because she's our cousin," I said, feeling a bit stupid. "Why is Marie different?"

"I don't know," She said tiredly. "I have tried to stop them from meeting, but I've grown tired. Maybe we should let destiny take its course."

"Why are you so adamant on them meeting?"

"She's," she paused and sighed. "She's the reason the Brooks and the Calls don't get along."

"You can't solely blame her," I said irritated. "Uncle was much at fault too. Dad is too close minded to even accept that Caleb had nothing to do with Byron's death,"

"Shh, we talk later," she whispered and continued eating her oatmeal. Caleb, Jordan and Michael entered the kitchen and greeted us. Caleigh stared at me, raising a brow.

"What are you ladies whispering about?" Michael asked, bending down to kiss Caleigh's cheek. "Don't you know that we can hear everything?" he whispered in her ear and gave her a mischievous smile and winked at her.

"I know," she said, smiling. "It's just... I needed to vent, sweetie."

"What a fake smile, sweetie," he teased, kissing her lips. "My brother called and he's already at the airport."

"Oh, I know, Michael." Caleigh groaned.

"I spoke to Caleb and he agreed to let them stay here with us, if they want to. I doubt that they will. There's barely any space in the apartment for us."

"I know," Jordan said, looking down at Caleigh's bowl. "Where did you get the oatmeal? I want some."

"Make some yourself, Jor," Caleigh smiled. "This was the last bit of oatmeal. Sorry."

"Ahh, that's not fair." He whined and walked to the pantry in search of food. "I like strawberry flavored oatmeal,"

"At what time are they coming?" I asked Michael.

"We have to pick them up at the airport." Caleb is driving me there. "I hope that you don't mind us not going to the amusement park, Sunny."

I was about to answer, but Caleigh cut me off. "Why are they here, Mike?" Caleigh asked. "Did you tell your brother that we were coming here?"

"No," he mumbled and took Caleigh's spoon out of her hand and ate some of her oatmeal. "Tim knew that I took his SUV. He asked me where I was going and I told him that I was going to stop by Chicago that is all I said. He then told me that he's planning to study at the University of Illinois. He just thought that he could drop by to greet Caleb. You do know that Caleb is our cousin and he hasn't seen him, since forever, right?"

"Yeah, I know," Caleigh said, resting her forehead on the table. "I'm so tired. I don't even want to argue about this. I don't know how clairvoyants see in to the future. I have a massive headache." She complained. "Sunshine, Mom is going to call you later and she better not hear the other guys on the background. If she does, we are screwed."

"OK," I said, glancing over at Byron Adam, he was sitting in the terrace, looking at the horizon. "I'm going to go over and talk to him. Does he know?" I asked Caleigh. She nodded.

"I told him," She sighed. "He's mad at me. He told me to stop meddling in his life."

"I would say the same," I said, smiling weakly at her. "I'll try to cheer him up."

"Good luck," Jordan said, ruffling my hair.

"Hey, stop that! It took me twenty minutes to do my hair. You messed it up."

"No, baby, you look great," Caleb said, cupping my face in his hands and kissed my lips. "You always look great."

"Thanks, babe," I said, smiling contently. "I'll be right back."

"Ok," he nodded. "Mike and I are going to get the guys."

"Ok, I'll be here waiting for you." I said, kissing his lips again. "Be careful, alright?"

"I'll be back," Caleb said, hugging me. "I'm sorry that we won't be able to go to the amusement park. I'll make it up to you. How about dinner and a movie? Just you and I."

"That sounds great,"

"Good," he winked. "Come, Mike. We don't want to get stuck in traffic."

I waved goodbye to the guys as they exited the apartment and sauntered over to the terrace. "I got you some juice," I said, offering him a cold glass of O. J. "Can I sit?"

"It's a free country," he mumbled, and took the glass of orange juice I offered him. "Thanks,"

"How are you feeling?"

"Confused," he said nonchalantly and took a sip of the juice and shook a little. I took the glass from his hands and placed it on my lap. "Caleigh just dropped the bomb on me. I wasn't ready for this. O knew that I was going to see her again. But, I didn't know that Caleigh was going to prevent it from happening. Why is she butting in my business? I thought that we were brother and sister. I thought that I could trust her. Aren't you supposed to trust your siblings? How can she sabotage my life? Before we left Washington, she told me that Marie Black wasn't a good person. She painted this horrible picture of Marie. I told her to stop talking, that I wasn't interested in Marie. But it's like she wants me to meet Marie Black and suffer the same fate that Uncle Byron suffered. Now you know why I was so freaking angry when we were driving to Illinois. She was just telling me how wrong it would be to get together with Marie Black. What makes her think that I want to get with her? What gave her the idea that Marie and I would have a relationship? I don't even know her! I don't even thin-"

"The old Byron knew her,"

"I'm not him!" Adam shouted, startling me. "I recall memories that aren't mine, Sunshine. I jus- I don't even know if I'm me. What if I'm just an echo of someone's life. What if my emotions aren't mine, but his," he paused. "I am so furious. I hate dreaming of Marie and not even know why I love her smile, her eyes, and the sound of her melodious voice."

"We can leave," I said sadly. "We can get out of here before they come, Byron."

"And then what? Continue running from my destiny? Distancing you from Caleb?" he asked irritated. "I'm so tired of running from everything. You are happy once again. I'm going to see this through. I want to know who this Marie Black is! I want to know her for myself and not rely on the memories that I have of her. I want to talk to her and be able to come up with my own conclusion."

"What if you imprint on her?"

"That's impossible, Sunny," he said, pacing around the terrace. "She had a soul mate. Emerson was her soul mate. She can't be the right person for me,"

"But she always chose Uncle Byron over Emerson. What if she falls for you? You are the spitting image of Uncle Byron,"

"I know," He said, turning to face me. "But that won't happen with me. I wont imprint on her. She won't even feel any attraction towards me."

"Let's hope so. If Dad finds out that you are meeting her," I laughed. "He'll have a heart attack."

"He'll have a heart attack when he knows that we lied to him and told him that we went camping." He said, running his hand over his face. "Sun,"

"Yes,"

"I don't want to be rude, but," he paused and looked over at the glass door. Jordan was standing there, his hands on each side of the doorframe. "Can I speak to Emerson in private, please?"

"Oh, sure," I said, getting up from the patio chair. "Here's your juice."

"Thanks,"

"You are welcome," I said, hugging my brother. "I love you. I don't care if you are a mixture of different lives. To me, you are the greatest." I said, smiling at him.

"Thanks,"

I slowly let go of him and stopped in front of Jordan. "Be good to him. Don't bother him, ok?" I said, jabbing him on the chest. Jordan beamed and nodded. "Good. I'll make you something good to eat, alright?"

"You are the greatest, Sunshine," he said, grabbing me in a bear hug.

"Ok, you can let me go," I said breathlessly.

"So sorry," he said, removing his arms from around me. "I get carried away when you offer me food." He smiled.

"OK, I'll talk to you later." I said, waving at him.

I walked in to the kitchen and cleared the table and went to the pantry to collect the food I was going to prepare. After thirty minutes, I had three medium size pans on the stove top.

"What are you making?" Caleigh asked, when she walked into the kitchen and sat on the counter.

"I'm making Parmesan chicken," I said pointing at the pan. "Boiling some potatoes and broccoli."

"Nice," she said. "Is that all for Jordan?"

"Yeah," I said, leaning against the fridge. "He was hungry and I don't know at what time the others are returning, so I didn't make them anything."

Caleigh and I remained in the kitchen. When the food was ready, I served Jordan his food and loaded another plate for Adam. They ate in the terrace and continued talking about whatever it was that they were talking about. It was ten o'clock when I received a call from Caleb announcing that they were on their way home. I was excited. I didn't know that I could miss him so much. I was also anxious to see how Marie and Byron Adam reacted when they met. I was sure that sparks would fly. Caleigh knew something about the outcome of their meeting. Maybe that was the reason she was constantly interfering in their destined meeting. I hoped that she was wrong and that Marie was nice to Adam.

"Caleb called me and said that we were going out to eat," Jordan said, placing the plate in the sink. "Thank you for the food. It was delicious."

"You are welcome," I muttered and smiled at him. He cleaned his plate and placed it in the dishwasher. "They are here," he said, looking over at the terrace where Adam still sat. "I'm going to open the door."

"Yeah, you do that," I said nervously. "I'll stay here. Watching from the sidelines."

"I don't think that there is anything to worry about," Jordan said, his eyes fixed on the door. "We'll be able to handle whatever happens to us."

"True," I said, biting the inside of my cheeks. "Go and open the door."

"No, I changed my mind. I'll let Caleb do it," Jordan said, standing behind me. We watched as the doorknob turned and the door burst open. Caleb smiled at me and I ran to him, jumping into his opened arms. "She missed you," Jordan laughed.

"I can tell," Caleb said contently, lifting me in his muscular arms. "A guy could get used to being received with so much love."

I looked over Caleb's shoulders and noticed two pairs of green eyes staring attentively at me. I timidly waved at the girls that stood behind Caleb and whispered in his ear to put me down. He obliged and I hid in his arms.

"Guys, this is my precious imprint," he said, kissing my chin. "Sunshine," he paused and pulled me to his side. "This is Mia and Marie Black," he said. I stared at Mia, she looked so differently from her sister. Her skin was russet with thick brown hair that fell to her shoulder. Her green eyes were friendly and amicable. Marie was pale, with dark hair and red highlights. She was dressed a little too dark for my taste, but she was a beauty.

"Hi,"

"Hello, I'm Mia," Mia said excitedly and pulled me in a hug. "This is my older sister Marie,"

"Hi," Marie said, a sheepish smile on her lips. "It's nice to finally meet you."

"It's a pleasure to meet you too," I said, letting Mia take my hand in hers. "Um, my brother is inside," I blurted out. Marie stared at me questioningly and smiled. "I mean, why we don't go inside."

Caleb gave me a quizzically look, as he guided them inside. I followed after Mia, since she was practically dragging me inside. We sat in the living room, my attention focused on Marie. She looked around, her eyes stopped when she looked at the terrace.

"Is that Byron?" she asked, standing up from her seat. Caleb and I looked at each other in confusion. Marie sprang to the terrace and all I could hear was my heart beating harder, as I watched my brother's perplexed look when he stood in front of the woman that had been his true love in a past life.


	17. Chapter 17

**Tangle in This Love**

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**AN: I'm on a writing streak! I am so happy. My muse returned and now I just want to write! I hope that you like this chapter. I love you all and wish you well!**

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**Salvation for a Soul**

_Caleb's POV_

Michael and I drove to the airport and thankfully, we avoided the morning traffic. We parked in front of American Airlines' arrival terminal and spotted the familiar faces of Timothy Uley, Marie and her sister, Mia.

"There's my brother," Michael laughed excitedly.

"I know. I can see that he has your same face," I jested. Michael glared at me and shook his head. "What?"

"Wow, I forget that Marie looks the same," he said, waving at them, as the walked towards my SUV. "Why did you stop talking to her, Caleb?"

"She left La Push after Emerson's and Byron's death and never called," I shrugged.

"Oh, sorry," Mike said and unbuckled his seatbelt. "Do you hate her?"

"No, I don't think so. Well, I don't really know. It's been so long since that day," I said, removing my seatbelt and opening the driver's door. "I'm going to open the trunk for them."

"Oh, yeah," he said and stepped out of the car. "I'll help."

"Thanks," I said, pressing the keychain button that popped the trunk.

"Timothy!" Michael said contently and walked over to his brother. "Dude, you don't change." He said, hugging his brother.

"I like your face, Mike," Tim laughed, pulling away from his identical brother's arms. "So, you stole my SUV. It better be in one piece."

"It's perfectly safe," Mike reassured him. "Here are the keys to it," he said, searching his pockets, until he pulled out a single key and handed it over to his brother. "The tank is full and it doesn't have any scratches on it."

"Thanks, bro," Tim said. "Have you said hi to my lovely fiancé?" he asked, turning around to look at the pint size girl that stood beside him.

"No, but hello, Mia," Mike said and picked up the young lady in his arms and twirled her. "It's been so long since I've seen you."

"It's nice to see you, Mike," Mia said, when he placed her on the ground. "How is everyone?"

"My imprint has a headache and is in a foul mood," he shrugged. "Sunshine and Byron are doing fine. You know, the usual. How are you Marie?" he said, turning to Marie. "You haven't changed."

"Hi, Michael," Marie said hesitantly. "It's nice to see you." She said, her green eyes turning to face me. "How are you, Caleb?" she asked me.

"Fine," I whispered, as we stared at each other. "You guys can place your belongings in the trunk."

"Oh, yes," Mia said happily. "I'm tired of holding on to this stupid carryon," she sighed. "Aunt Alice crammed so much into my luggage that I ended up giving some to Goodwill. She sure packs useless things."

"Caleb," Marie said, placing a soft hand on my arm. "Thank you for picking us up in such a short notice and for letting us use your apartment. I know that we can easily rent a hotel, but," she stopped and swallowed hard. "It's good to be around old friends."

"You are welcome," I said wearily. "We should get going. Traffic around this time gets really bad." I said, and slowly jerked her hand off my arm. I walked back to the vehicle and helped Tim load his duffel bags and Mia's carryon. "Where is your stuff, Marie?"

"Oh, I didn't bring anything," she said, blushing. "I wasn't planning on coming."

"Why is that?" I asked curiously.

"We stopped by Lansing, MI and I convinced her to come," Mia said proudly. "She can't resist her little sister."

"Guilty," Marie laughed nervously. "I just tagged along. I don't even know why."

"Good," Michael said, placing his hand on her shoulder. "Maybe is destined to happen. Come let's go to Cale's apartment."

"What's there?" Mia and Marie asked simultaneously.

"Byron Adams," Mike and I said in unison. "You did tell him, right, Tim?"

"No," he shook his head. "I just asked Mia to convince her to come."

"Wait," Marie said confused. "What are you guys talking about? Mia Alice Black, what are they talking about?" she said sternly.

"I, um," Mia gulped. "I'm tired of seeing you in that funk you are in, Marie."

"What funk? I'm happy!"

"Liar!" Mia hissed.

"Guys, we gotta go. The security guard asked us to leave the premises." Tim said causally. "We can talk about this on the way to Cale's house."

"OK," Marie said, narrowing her eyes. "You better explain yourself, missy."

"Sorry," Mia laughed cautiously.

I thought that if I saw Marie Black, I would hate her for what she did to my brother and for leaving without saying goodbye. But in the end, it didn't bother me. She had made her decision and even though, it did affect many people, it was her choice. I needed to respect that. I made my decision to leave La Push and not fight for my imprint. I had been in the same position as her. I made my decision and it affected my family, my life, and Sunshine. I understood well enough, now that I am an adult. I came to the conclusion that there are certain things that are in our control and not even destiny can dictate them. Every day we make choices and they have repercussions in the future. We may have our lives written out for us; certain aspects of it can be predestined, but in the end we decide how we want to live our lives. We are the authors of our lives; whichever path we choose, we do it, because we want to experience the joy, gain experience, overcome the hardships, and bask in the triumphs that we've harvest. In the end, that is why we are humans.

Once in the car, Mia explained to Marie why she'd convinced her to come with them to Chicago. "Guys, this is wrong! I thought that you wanted my input on the apartment that you two idiots were going to rent! I thought that- I don't want to see this Byron kid."

"You have to," Mia said. "You are constantly punishing yourself for what happened in the past, Marie."

"Mia," Marie sighed and raised her hand. "You don't know how it happened! You weren't even born!"

"I was,"

"Sweetie, you were born. She's just exaggerating," Tim said. I looked at the rearview mirror and saw him giving Mia a sweet kiss on the forehead. "Just let her vent."

"I'm right here, idiot," Marie sighed and leaned back. "Caleb, does he really look like Byron?"

I nodded and then looked ahead at the road. "Just like Byron?"

"Yes, Marie," Michael sighed. He opened his cellphone and searched for a picture of Caleigh and her siblings. "This is Caleigh and Adam,"

"Adam?"

"Yes, they call him Adam," I added.

Marie took the phone and bit her bottom lip. "Who's this pretty girl? She looks so much like Byron too," she smiled tenderly. "Is she Sunshine?"

Mike and I nodded and she placed her hand over her mouth and sobbed. "She's beautiful."

"Yeah," I smiled, thinking of Sunshine's smile.

"You imprinted on her?" she asked, reading my thoughts. "I'm so glad, Caleb. I can see her smiling at you."

"Thanks,"

We talked some more in the car and the tension that I felt around Marie was gone. It felt like old times, when there wasn't any hatred or animosity between us; we were just ourselves. An hour later, we were parking my Ford Escape.

"Do you think that she'll like me?" Marie asked me nervously, when we got out of my Ford Escape. "She never liked me, not even when she was little." She chuckled, as she continued talking about Sunshine. "She used to bite my hand, because I touched her Uncle Byron."

"She did?" Mia Black chimed in, as she pulled out her carryon and placed it on the floor. "Ohh, that must've been cute. I don't remember her biting me. She was always running after me. Man, how times flies and we remain the same."

"I wish I was mortal too," Marie shrugged, her smile seemed forced, but the power behind her words spoke louder than words. You could see the sadness written in her green eyes. "If I was mortal, I wouldn't have to live for an eternity regretting the things I said and did when the- I'm sorry, Caleb. I don't mean to be such a party-pooper." She said, walking around the SUV. "Can you pop the trunk for me, please?"

"Sure," I said, smiling at her. I walked around to and stood behind her. "Marie," I paused and saw her shoulders slump and she inhaled deeply. "I don't blame you for what happened to Emerson." I said softly, waiting for her to turn around and face me, but her back remained facing me. "I did feel like you abandoned me when you took off. I know that you wanted to run away from your problems. I did the same too. I guess that what I'm trying to say is that I am truly sorry for everything that my brother made you suffer… and that I don't have anything to forgive you; because you did what you thought was right."

"It's nice to know that you understand, Cale," she said, opening the trunk and grabbed her belongings. "I hated myself for leaving you alone. I just couldn't face you. Even now, I see your face and it feels like I am looking at him. Emerson- he wasn't a bad person. I never hated him. I cared for him. I just- I tried, but he was someone that I treasured a lot. I never lo-"

"You didn't love him, the way he wanted you to love him. I know, Marie. He would talk while he was drunk. He didn't blame you for it. You and I know what happened the night they died." I said, placing a hand on her shoulder. "He always told me that Byron knew how to truly love you. I know that it wasn't your fault and I don't blame you for anything that happened." I said, she placed her warm hand on top of mine and sobbed. "We are free to love whoever we want to love. I just hate to see the person that you've become. You were always happy. Why haven't you found happiness? You are a beautiful woman… many men are willing to drop everything to be at your beck-and-call. Wh-"

"Caleb," She turned around and gave me a weak smile. "You are so different from Emerson. You should've imprinted on me," she joked.

"Things would have been very different, right?" I said, placing a caring hand on the side of her face. She leaned her head into my hand and I could see the tears in her eyes. "But," I paused and looked up at the apartment complex and imagined Sunshine's perfect smile and how she only reserved them for me. "But it wasn't meant to be. I have Sunshine."

"Yes, it wasn't meant to be and she makes you terribly happy," she nodded. "My love for Byron never died. He was all my heart needed. My heart is stubborn, Caleb. I loved him even before I knew what love was. I remember Benedict's birthday, he was four years old, and he promised to love me forever. Now that I think about it, we promised to love each other forever. I guess that my heart never broke that promise."

"Marie," Mia said, coming to her sister's side. "You should forgive yourself. You tried to reason with Emerson. There are many types of soul mates, he could have accepted your friendship and may be- Marie, this is the time to give your heart a chance to heal, sis. We have to go upstairs and see that kid. He might be your salvation…"

"I want to believe that I have a chance, but," Marie sobbed, fat tears falling down her face. "But every day that I go to sleep, I see Emerson's face so vividly, telling me how I'll never be happy, because I - my heart chose Byron." She said between sobs. "And I see Byron's smiling face, telling me that I should be happy and," she stopped and wiped her face with the back of her hand. "I want to see this kid,"

"What kid?" I asked confused.

"Byron's nephew," she said with determination. "I want to see him."

"Why?" Tim and Mike Uley asked, as they walked around the SUV.

"What are you going to gain from seeing him?" Mike asked confused.

"Nothing," she said, grabbing the sleeves of my shirt. "Caleb, you have always been a good friend of mine. You'll never lie to me…" I nodded and I could see the wheels in her head turning.

"What's going on?" Mike asked his brother.

"I sort of told Mia about, um, Byron Adam and his recollection of things that happened before he was born… I guess that Mia didn't listen to me, when I told her not to tell Marie," Tim laughed nervously.

Mia hid behind Marie and laughed. "I guess I didn't hear the last part."

"Dude, I trusted you," Mike said irritated. "If Caleigh finds out, I'm a dead man. She'll stop talking to me and I can't handle that."

"I'm sorry," Tim said.

"Caleb, you were always honest with me. That's why you are my dearest friend, is it true that he looks like Byron?" Marie asked, ignoring the argument that the Uley twins were having.

"Yeah, a lot, actually," I said honestly. "He remembers thing that happened years ago. Things that happened way before he was even born. Sunshine has mentioned things to me about it last night, but I've noticed his attitude and I think he hates me. Byron hated me too, so, I am pretty sure that the old Byron is somewhere inside him."

"Caleb, after the night when Emerson and Byron – when they died," she trailed off, swallowing the invisible lump in her throat. "It was after we came back from the hospital, I woke up and saw Byron's spirit sitting on my bed. I know that it was him,"

"Yuck, that night was an eerie one," Mia said, shuddering. "We shared the same room and the door burst open and a gust of wind followed. I could hear footsteps, but I didn't see anyone. Suddenly, Marie began to speak to someone and she cried so much... A chill ran down my back and I swear that I heard Byron's soft laughter."

"What did he say?" I asked intrigued.

"He told me to be happy. He apologized for not running away with me when I asked him to. He wanted to give into his imprint and learn to love Brittany. He wanted to try to make her happy. He really wanted to give it a try, but in the end, he couldn't love her. He was tired of hurting everyone around us," Marie said, reaching out for her sister's hand. Mia nodded, urging her sister to speak. She glanced at Timothy and Michael, but they just remained silent. "He made a promise to me that night. By always kept his promises. He told me that we would meet again," she said, tears streaming down her face. "He said that he loved me more than his own life. And he whispered something that was almost inaudible,"

"What? You never told me," Mia said intrigued, hugging her sister. "I want to know. I didn't know this part, Marie."

"Oh, Mia Mia, he said many things, but this is the only thing that I remembered," she sighed. "He told me that he would always be with me," she laughed behind her tears. "He mentioned something about our souls being redeemed in the future."

"How?" I asked.

"Yeah, how?" Mia asked, encircling her arms around her sister's waist.

"I would bring his soul salvation if we were to ever meet again." She said, knitting her eyebrows together. "I- I," she stammered and then looked up at me and smiled. I looked up and imagined Adam's face. _Could he be the person that would redeem Byron and Marie's soul? Nah. He couldn't be. It couldn't be, right? I mean, werewolves and vampires existed, right? There are many things that are unknown to us, but that doesn't mean that they aren't real. What if Byron was still with us, a part of his spirit living in Byron Adams? Maybe he was Marie's salvation. _"Caleb, you are a genius. I need to see this kid. I need to know that I'm not going crazy. I've been holding this feeling inside of me for so long, Caleb. Take me upstairs, please. I just want to end this doubt. I want to know if my heart and soul can be redeemed. I want to be happy again. What if that kid's my happiness? I don't want to let him go."

"What if he isn't?" Mike asked.

"Dude," Tim sighed. "You are the negative twin. I don't like you right now."

"Then move away from me," Michael grunted. "I'm just trying to be realistic," he sighed.

"What if he's the key to making my sister happy, Mike? You told Tim that your imprint has been trying to stop them from meeting. She must know something!" Mia said angrily. "If she gets in my sister's way, I'll-"

"You'll do nothing, Mia Mia," Mike threatened. "You stay clear of her!"

"But, your Caleigh must know something, Mike."

"She's right," I said, shrugging. "Caleigh doesn't want you two to meet,"

"Caleb, please," Marie said, her green eyes moistened with unshed tears. "Please, help me."

I nodded. Maybe I was gullible or a fool that was too in love with his imprint, but I believed in miracles, because my angel, Sunshine was my own personal, living miracle. I wanted Marie to find happiness. I could see the despair in her eyes and I felt sorry for her. Poor Marie probably struggled with her own feelings of guilt and remorse for the last twelve years, without someone to tell her that everything was going to be alright. I took her hand and she smiled sadly at me.

"Thank you," she muttered, tightning her grasp on my hand.

"Let's go upstairs," I said smiling. "We can come and get the rest of the things later. They aren't going anywhere,"

"Thanks," Mia said excitedly. "Sister, I wish you the best. I hope that you can be happy. I'll be rooting for you."

"Well," Timothy said, wrapping his hands around Mia's waist. "We should head upstairs, now. I can't wait to see how this story play out."

"Liar," Mia chuckled, jabbing his side. "You want to see Mike getting beat up by his imprint, don't you?" Tim laughed heartedly and smacked Michael across his back. "We should go upstairs. I can't wait to meet this Byron look alike."

"Me neither," Marie said, her voice strained. "Caleb, can you be there if I fall? Just like you were there for me, when everyone turned their backs on me, please."

"Always, my friend,"

"Thanks," she said, hugging me and slowly letting me go. "You are the greatest,"

I smiled at her and took Mia's duffel bag in my hand that was on the ground next to the SUV and closed the trunk. We walked up to the apartment lobby and were greeted by Xavier, the door attendant. He eyed me and then at my guests, but we ignored him. We took the elevator and after a few minutes, we were on the hallway, a few meters away from my apartment door.

"I can't do this," Marie said and ran back to the elevator. Tim walked back to get her and held her hand. "Tim, just let me go. I can bite you!"

"You bite him, and I'll bite you back," Mia said sternly.

"I'll bite you too, Marie." Mike said, raking his finger through his hair. "She's poisonous, right? I don't want to die,"

"No, goofball," Mia laughed and then turned to her sister. "Marie, don't be a coward. All you've done is run from your problems, instead of facing them head on! You'll never know what life is holding out for you if you don't search for it. Be brave! What if he is your second and last chance at love? Take a bold step and live!"

"I'm not brave," she answered. "What if he's not it for me? What if I'm just imagining things and my conversation with Byron never happened?"

"You are brave and you'll never know unless you try." Mia sighed. "Caleb, hurry up! Open the door."

"I smell more wolves in there," Tim said, nodding his head. "Is Jordan here?"

"Oh, yeah," I said, reaching in my vest pocket to get the keys to my apartment. "He came here with my girlfriend, Caleigh, Byron Adam and your brother."

"Nice," Tim laughed.

"He's taller than you," Mike pointed out and laughed. "He might be the next Alpha of the pack."

"Is he that good?" I asked baffled. Mike nodded and patted my shoulder. "I wouldn't have known. He's such a kid at times."

"Just some training," Mike responded. "And he can lead our people to safety."

"You have a brother, Caleb?" Marie asked surprised.

"Oh, yeah," I said shyly. "There is a lot that you need to know."

"Nice," she sighed. "Ok, let's do this."

I unlocked the door and when the door was opened wide, Sunshine ran in to my arms. I didn't mind it. She was light in my arms and the demonstration of love filled my heart with happiness. I turned to face Marie and she smiled. She could hear my thoughts and probably Mia possessed some type of enhanced ability like her.

"She doesn't have any powers," Marie muttered low enough. "She's the power to annoy you."

"Hey! I heard that," Mia laughed.

I looked above Sunshine's shoulders and saw my brother smiling. "She missed you," Jordan laughed.

"I can tell," I said contently, lifting her closer to me. "A guy could get used to being received with so much love." Sunshine stiffened in my arms and I could see her shyness return. "Guys, this is my precious imprint," I said, kissing her chin. "Sunshine," I paused and pulled her to me. "This is Mia and Marie Black,"

"Hi," Mia smiled excitedly. I placed Sunny on the floor and she held on to my hand. "Hello, I'm Mia," Mia said excitedly and pulled her in a hug. "This is my older sister Marie,"

"Hi," Marie said, a sheepish smile on her lips. "It's nice to finally meet you."

"It's a pleasure to meet you too," she said, letting Mia take her hand. "Um, my brother is inside," Sun blurted out. Marie stared at her questioningly and smiled. "I mean, why we don't go inside."

I gave her a quizzically look, and guided them inside. Sunshine followed after Mia, since she was practically being dragging inside. We sat in the living room, my attention focused on Sunshine and Marie. I could sense that she was thinking of running away, but thankfully, Mike and Tim were standing by the door. I was also afraid that Marie would jump out the terrace in her fear of facing her destiny.

"Is that Byron?" Marie asked, standing up from her seat.

Sunshine looked at me in confusion. I wanted to tell her what was happening, but I remained calm. Marie sprang to the terrace and all I could do was wish for the best. She stopped ambling and everything played out in slow motion. Time seemed to stand still as they stood facing each other. "Marie," Adam whispered surprised. "You are here," Sunshine's hand clasped mine tighter and she held her breath. Her heartbeats were erratic. I knew she was anxious to know. So was I. I was nervous, Marie made the first move. She got on the tips of her toes and cupped Byron Adam's face in her hand.

"What's happening?" Sunshine leaned closer and asked me. "Did he imprint? Did Jordan imprint? Do you think the same will happen?"

"I don't know. I doubt it," I said, draping my arm around her shoulder.

"I didn't imprint on her," Jordan said, scratching the back of his neck. "But I can see the sparks flying between those two."

"Shut up!" Sunshine said nervously and then scooted closer to me, until she was practically sitting on my lap. "What's going on, baby?" she asked anxiously and snaked her arms around my arm.

"They aren't talking." I said, stroking her hair.

"Ahh, they make a cute couple," Mia sighed. "They are just so cute!"

"You are a strange woman," Jordan said, turning to face Mia Black. She chuckled and we continued staring at Byron Adam and Marie. "What is she doing?" Jordan asked curiously. "Are they going to kiss?"

"I don't know," I said, staring attentively at the glass door and at the couple that seemed to be in their own little universe. "She is showing him images. Marie can touch a person and project images in to their mind. She used to do it to me, when I was younger."

"She can?" Sunny said excitedly and then turned to Marie. "Can you do things like that too?"

"Nah," Mia sighed. "I'm just a boring girl with no superpower," she said nonchalantly. "But, look at them. They look so cute together." She laughed. "We are so gonna be sisters in-law." she shrieked happily.

"Yeah," Sunshine sighed, leaning her head on my shoulder. "I wish them happiness."

I nodded, my eyes resting on Marie and Adam. He smiled at her and placed his hands on her hips and slowly brought his head to her, until their foreheads were touching. "I'm not the Byron you fell in love many years ago, Marie."

"I know. I can see your thoughts," Marie cried softly. "You are different. So different from him, but at the same time," she whispered, smiling tenderly at him. "But at the same time, you are still the same. Your thoughts are pure and ever so kind."

"But," he paused, "I am not him. I don't want you to think that I am him. I want you to be with me, not because you desperately want to be with my Uncle, but because you want to be with me. I'll make you happy. This has to be a miracle," He said, his lips touching hers. He clasped his hands with hers and brought them to his lips and kissed each knuckle. "How is this happening?"

"OMG! He kissed her!" Sunshine said enthusiastically.

"Shh," Mia said. "They are whispering things. I think he imprinted on her!"

I rolled my eyes and focused on them. I missed what Byron Adams was telling Marie. I knew that something in him changed. It was a miracle what could happen in life to change a person. In the three days that he'd been in my house, I've only seen him smile at his sisters. I guess that he did imprint on her or something similar to it. It was unknown to us and maybe it was a secret that the world was hiding from us. Maybe two souls that had lost their path, finally found each other.

"I'm willing to try," Marie wept. Kissing his lips again. "If you are willing to forgive me and accept me with my flaws and imperfection."

"I can do that," Byron Adam laughed, holding Marie tightly in his arms. "I'm only fourteen years old. You are going to have to wait for me this time, Marie."

"You don't look fourteen, Byron. You look much older. But it's alright. It's not like I'm growing any older. I stopped aging at the age of sixteen," she said, touching his face. "I can wait for you. You waited for me all this time, didn't you?"

"Until my soul was saved by your love," he said, a lonely tear fell down his face before he buried his head on the crook of Marie's neck. "Thank you."

* * *

AN: Did he imprint on Marie? No, not really. I still don't know. Should I write the next chapter on Marie's POV. I was thinking about it. It'll be different, though. I hope that you like it. It's a lot. I've been writing a lot lately. Maybe to compensate for the month of hiatus that I had on this story. Oh, well, what ever the case maybe, please, leave a review and make me a happy woman. Also, if there are any grammatical errors, sorry.


	18. Chapter 18

**Tangled In this Love**

* * *

AN: I'm bored and I ended up writing another chapter for this story. I hope that you like it.

* * *

**Caleigh's Secret**

Sunshine's POV

That night Caleb and I had dinner together in a small Italian restaurant. He ordered Pesto pasta and grilled chicken and I ordered Minestrone soup. I wasn't that hungry. I was still worried about Caleigh. She'd stormed off the apartment and I didn't get to say goodbye to her. I was also worried for Michael, he'd tried to run after her, but she'd asked him to let her be on her own. I didn't like it when my sister got so sad.

"You don't like your food, Sunshine? You can order whatever you like, sweetie." Caleb said worriedly, reaching for my hand across the table.

"No, the food is good, babe,"

"You haven't even touched your food, little liar," he chuckled. "What's wrong?" I blinked a few times and offered him a smile. "You've been pensive for the last hour or so. Are you worried about your sister?"

"Yeah," I nodded, squeezing his hand. "I tried calling her before we left the apartment, but she didn't answer."

He sighed and traced lazy circles on the back of my hand with his thumb. "She needs some time to think, sweetie. You should've heard the things your brother said to her. They were a little harsh for her."

"I bet they were," I said, looking down at my bowl of minestrone. "But that doesn't excuse her from leaving without telling any of us where she's going. I wish I knew where she is. I need to make sure that she's alright."

"Mike will let us know how she is as soon as she calls him,"

"What if she doesn't call him?" I said alarmed. "What if something happened to my sister? What if-"

"Sun," Caleb chuckled, standing up from across the table. "Baby girl," he whispered and gestured me to scoot over, and sat next to me in the bench. "Your sister is fine. Don't worry so much. Do you want to head home after dinner?"

"What about the movie?"

"We can watch a movie at home," he smiled. "You don't have to worry about a thing, princess. Will that calm you down?"

I nodded and he kissed my nose. "Thanks for understanding, Caleb,"

"It's my pleasure," he said and I couldn't help myself any longer and hugged him. "What was that for?"

"Because you are the best," I said, hiding my face on the crook of his neck. I inhaled his delectable scent and rested my head on his shoulder. "Leaving you behind is going to be the hardest thing for me,"

"I know," he said, his hands stroking my hair and my back. "It'll be torture for me."

"How can we make this work?" I whispered, but I knew that he heard me. "How can I live without you?"

"I'll come up with something," he said next to my ear. "Have a little faith in us, sweetie. Everything will be alright," he said, pulling away to look me in the face. "Everything will work out for us."

"You really think so?" I asked incredulous, as a lonely tear streamed down my face. "I want to believe you, but I don't see how. You are going to be here and I'll be back in Washington. It seems impossible, but at the same time, I see your face and I believe," I said, he cupped my face in his hands and rained soft kisses on my face.

I didn't want to let go of him. He was my lifeline and I felt dead if he wasn't near me. Imagining my life away from him was like imagining living in a cold desert. I remembered the seven months that I lived without him and I wanted to bawl. My heart couldn't tolerate the distance and the suffering that separating my soul from him would cause me. But I had to be strong and have faith. I wanted to be older and just- ugh!

"Sweetie," Caleb said softly, reaching for my purse that was on the table. "Your phone is ringing," he said and rummaged through the black Coach purse that my mother had given me a few months ago. "It could be Caleigh,"

"You think?" I asked nervously, snatching the phone out of his hands without staring at the caller ID. "Hello?"

"Sunshine, where are you?" Mom's stern voice asked from the other line. "Where are you, Sunshine Marie?"

"Mom?" I asked confused, my eyes steadied on Caleb's eyes. He gulped hard and placed his hand on my shoulder. "Why are you shouting at me?"

"Caleigh called me," she said and I could hear my father's angry voice in the background. "She told me that she was sad. She was about to tell me something and hung up! What happened to her? Are you kids all right? Where are you guys? I demand to know, Sunshine!"

"Mom," I paused and bit my lip. "I am so gonna have to call you back later. I can't talk right now."

"Who's there beside you? I can hear someone breathing!" Mom said furiously and I turned to Caleb. He held his breath and scratched the back of his neck. "I am alone right now. Went to a restaurant to eat, Mom. Listen, I'm sorry. I can't-" I said, pressing the canceling button and ended the call and turned the phone around in my hand. "I can't believe that I hung up on my mother! My mother, Caleb!" I said edgily. "She's gonna kill me. I'm a dead girl. She's gonna pummel my ass." I said, opening the back and removing the battery. "She's gonna know that I'm here. She's gonna kill me. You heard how angry she was. I have to run away from home. Caleb, we have to move far away from here." I said, throwing the phone pieces in my purse. "They are going to try to separate us if they know we are together!"

"Honey, sweetie, baby, listen to me," Caleb laughed, threading his fingers in my hair. He leaned forward and kissed my lips so tenderly that I forgot about what was happening. "Calm down," he whispered against my lips. "Everything is going to be alright. Just relax,"

"I can't," I said, closing my eyes. "I need more kisses. I need to forget this moment. Kiss me more. I am going to die. My parents are going to kill me."

"They won't," he chortled and bent his head to kiss me hungrily on the lips. "You will be safe with me. I won't let anything happen to you."

"How do you know?" I asked, my eyes still close, but I could feel his eyes on me. "I haven't heard my mother sound so angry in my life. I've been scolded by her, but I didn't know that she was capable of screaming so loud. I could hear my Dad in the background. I could just picture him, Caleb."

"Just relax," he said, the tip of his tongue glazing over my lips. "You'll be fine."

"Caleb," I said pouting. "What if they want to break us apart?"

"We won't let them," he said with determination. "If we have to fight, then we fight for our love."

"You give me strength," I said.

I didn't eat my food. I watched him finish what was in his plate and then he paid for the service and we headed out the restaurant. We took a stroll in the park and then had ice cream at Coldstone. He made me laugh and the more time I spent with him, the harder it seemed to let go of him. I was devastated, crying in the inside. My heart was bleeding with our impending separation. I wanted to fight, but the more I fought for something, the difficult it seemed to obtain it.

We headed to the apartment and to my relief, I saw Caleigh sitting on the couch. Her face was hidden behind her hands and I could see Marie and Mia chattering in a corner. Byron Adam sat next to her, comforting her.

"What's wrong?" I asked my sister, when I saw the mourning look on my brother's face. "Cal, what's going on? Why are you crying?"

"I've been such a fool," Caleigh said behind her tears. "I have been running from my own faith,"

I looked over to Michael and saw his pained expression. I mouthed if he knew what was wrong with my sister, but he shrugged that he didn't know. His eyes settled on her and I knew that he wanted to comfort her, but she was pushing him away. Something big was going on. Caleigh couldn't live without her imprinter.

"What's wrong? Why is she crying? What did you say to her, Adam?" I asked, changing blame party. If Michael hadn't done anything to make Caleigh cry, then it must've been Adam. He was probably angry at her for meddling in his life, but the way he was comforting her told me that I was wrong.

"I didn't say anything to her," he said irritated, running his hand over her brown hair. "I asked her to forgive me, but she just keeps crying," he said, looking down at her. "What's wrong, Cal? Talk to me, Cal. We are supposed to confide in each other,"

"What did you do to Caleigh, Adam?" I said angrily. He must've done something to make Caleigh cry so dejectedly.

"No!" Adam said angrily. "I didn't do anything to her. I apologized for earlier, but she says that it has nothing to do with why she's so despondent."

"Cal," I sighed. "Did you tell Mom and Dad where we were?" I asked angrily, when I remembered Mom's call.

"I," Caleigh said, looking up at us from behind a curtain of clear liquid. "I'm sorry."

"You told Mom and Dad," I said miserably. "You told them- You were the one that told them that we are here?" I asked, falling to my knees. "You told her that I was with Caleb, didn't you? Why would you?"

"How do you know?" Caleigh said, her voice faltering.

Adam continued to comfort her, but she kept on crying, as she stared at me. "Mom called me, Caleigh."

"What did you tell her?" she asked startled.

"What did you say?" Adam asked curiously.

"I didn't tell her anything, Adam," I said softly, closing my eyes. Caleb knelt beside me and pulled me into his muscular arms and held me tightly, depositing soft kisses on my temple and whispering how everything was going to be alright. "I hung up on her and told her that I couldn't talk to her in that moment,"

"You did what?" Adam laughed nervously. "Why would you do that? We are so getting in trouble… She's going to ground me forever and I won't get to see Marie."

"I won't get to see you?" Marie asked shocked. "That just can't happen to us. We just found each other!" she said, her hands flying to her lips. "Mia," she said stressful, turning to her sister.

"Calm down, sis," Mia said from across the room. "You will be fine. We'll find a way!"

"Ugh!" Caleigh snapped. "This isn't about you, Marie! This is about me!"

"No, it's about all of us!" I said irritated. "It's about all of us. Adam, Caleb, Mike, Marie, you and I are all in this!"

"Caleigh, what happened?" Michael asked, crouching beside her, but she shook her head and pushed him aside. "Baby, what's wrong? Why are you pushing me away? What did I do to you? I'm sorry if I've hurt you,"

"I messed up," she said, crying. Her small shoulders rose with every sob. "I thought that if I could keep them apart, I could prevent this," she said, her hands on her stomach. "It didn't help. It happened."

"What happened?" Adam and I asked simultaneously.

I looked around the room and found everyone's eyes on us. Seriously, us Brooks were surrounded by drama. They could write a book or the script about our lives; it would last longer than those soap operas that are still playing on daytime television.

"I'm," she began, but shook her head and cried some more. "I can't say it! Michael will hate me! He told me that he wanted to finish school, work, travel the world, and learn a different language. He told me that he, ugh!" she shouted furiously, her fists clenched.

"Wait, what are you talking about?" Mike asked nervously. "Why is it my fault? What did I do to you?"

"Every vision I had," she continued, but glared at Mike. "This is the result of not trusting every vision I had."

"She has visions?" Mia muttered across from me. I glanced at her, but ignored her. "Marie, she has visions too."

"Yes," Marie sighed. "Hush, Mia,"

"Wow, just like Aunt Alice, Marie," Mia said excitedly.

"Shut up, Mia," Marie said irritated, then spun around to face my brother. She offered him an understanding smile and he beamed at her. "She'll be alright."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Mia mumbled and walked over to her fiancé. "I wonder what she's talking about." She said to Timothy. He shrugged and draped an arm around her neck.

"So, every time you saw Marie and I meeting," Adam began, but Caleigh cried louder. "You sti-"

"Yes," she said behind her tears. "I see it and I don't know what to do."

"I don't know what is happening to you," Michael said desperately. "But let me help you. Let me be there for you. Don't push me away," he insisted.

"You don't want it," she said exasperated. "I asked you if you wanted and you told me that we have to wait! You tell me that we don't want to ruin our future with-"

"What?" I asked, pushing Caleb away from me. Everyone turned to look at me when I began to chuckle. "You are doing all this, because… You are pregnant, aren't you? That's why you were asking Michael about settling down after you finish high school on our drive to Chicago. You graduate in a couple of weeks, Caleigh. In a couple of weeks you will be an adult to do as you want. Is this why you didn't want Marie and Adam to meet? Because in your vision after they meet you find out that you are pregnant?"

"Yes, but apparently," she said indignantly. "I'm going to have a baby and its father doesn't want it,"

"Is that why you called Mom," Adam asked, turning to face Michael. "To let her know that you are pregnant?"

"Yes, but I didn't have the strength to tell her," she cleared her throat and wiped her tears. "I'm scared, Sunny and Adam." She said sadly. "Dad had so much trust in me. I've let him down. He'll hate me and he'll never want me to call him 'Dad' again. He's going to kill Mike."

"No, he won't," I said reassuringly.

"Oh, yes he will," Tim said from the kitchen. "Your dad will kill my brother."

"Tim, shut up," Jordan spat.

"Caleigh," Mike said softly, but she avoided looking at him. "You are going to have my child?"

"Sunshine," Caleigh said, raking her fingers through her knotted hair. "He'll be disappointed in me. And yes, Mike, we are having a baby." she said solemnly to Mike and then turned to face me. "He'll think that I'm a failure. He is going to hate me," she sobbed and turned to my brother and hugged him tightly. Adam patted her back and whispered that everything was going to be alright. I had faith too. She just needed to see the light at the end of the tunnel. She had people that loved her. Mike was crazy about her and if the news of having a child with my sister didn't excite him, then I didn't know what would.

"Wait," Mike said, raising his voice. " Wait, wait, wait," Michael said. "Did I hear good? I'm going to be a father? You and I are having a child?" he asked amused. Caleigh ignored him and continued speaking to us. "Am I painted here? I'm important too!

"So much for wolf hearing," Mia said.

"Mia, be quiet," Marie said annoyed.

"Yes, Mike. You are such a deaf idiot," Timothy said. Mia jabbed him on the side and giggled. "I'm going to be an uncle, Mia. You are going to be an aunt and we are so spoiling that kid. Michael is going to become a father and I'm going to be an uncle. You are going to have a family if you survive Benedict's ass whooping, Michael." He mocked.

"A father?" Michael said proudly.

"Yes," Marie said, smiling at him. "A little baby for you two."

"We don't know yet," Adam said, gazing at our sister lovingly. "We don't know yet. Have you had a pregnancy test, Cal?"

"Yes, earlier," she whispered. "I had four pregnancy test and they were all positive." she said wretchedly. "They were positive, Adam."

"Do you want this baby, Caleigh?" Jordan asked from the dining table.

"Yes," she whispered, and smiled at me. "I want this baby. Sunshine, you know how much I always wanted a baby," she paused. "Of course, I thought that I would be out of high school and with a college degree, or working as a designer, but this is also acceptable," she said. "This is a life that's growing inside me and I want to meet it. I want to protect it and love it."

"Then don't lose hope," Jordan said, walking around the sofa and sat on the armrest. "You'll see that everything will work out all right, Cal," he said, placing his large hand on her hair. "Just have faith,"

"You think?" she said hopeful.

"I know so," Jordan said and smiled. "We should be happy. You are having a little wolf and all you have to worry about is being the best mother in the world."

"He's right, sis," Adam said softly. "You don't have to worry about a thing. I'll help you take care of it. We have been through so much together. This is going to be hard on Mom and Dad, but when they see your baby, they are so going to cave and forget about the whole thing. And maybe if Mike isn't dead after Dad kills him, he can help around with the baby too."

"You really think so?" Caleigh said, a small smile settling on her lips. "You think that they'll love my baby?"

"I already love him," Adam said, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips. "Right, Sunshine?"

"I love him or her, already too," I said, smiling at her. I stood up and walked over to the couch and knelt beside my siblings. "I love you so much, Caleigh. Everything is going to be alright."

She closed her eyes and winced. "I so want to be optimistic," she sighed.

"Hey," Michael said, standing behind me. "Can I speak to you in private?"

"Sure," my sister said nervously and slowly let go of my brother and stood up.

"Do you want to go for a walk?"

"Sure," She smiled. "That'll be nice. Everyone might as well go out and have fun, since this is our last night here in Chicago. Mom and Dad will be here tomorrow night. They'll track my credit card to Chicago," she said, her green eyes opened widely. "Come on Big Mike," she said, standing from the couch. "I'll be back later." She said to Adam and me.

"Bye," I said, sitting on the place she'd been sitting. Adam placed a hand on my shoulder and kissed my forehead. "You and Marie should go out and have some fun. I don't know, come up with plans to be together. Cease the night! Make miracles! Don't get her pregnant, okay?"

"Yeah, like I was planning on having my soul mate be killed by my father, an Alpha," Marie said and walked over to where Byron Adam was sitting. My brother swallowed hard and slowly removed his arm from around me. "You and I have a lot to talk about too, young man."

"Ok," he said, taking her hand in his. She helped him up and they waved goodbye. "We'll see you later, guys."

"I'm going to the video arcade that's at the mall," Jordan said, getting off the couch.

"We'll go with you, Jor," Mia said and sauntered over to where he stood. She linked her arm in his and then turned around to face her Timothy. "Are you staying, love?"

"I'm right behind you, babe," Tim said and waved goodbye to us. "See you guys later."

"Bye," Caleb said.

"Bye," I whispered.

They closed the door behind them, leaving Caleb and I alone in the large apartment. I sighed and leaned back and looked up at the ceiling. I could just picture tomorrow. It was going to be filled with so much drama. I just wanted to have a peaceful night beside my angel. I inhaled and looked over to Caleb and patted the seat beside me. "Join me, please."

"Sure," he said and flopped on the couch. "Tomorrow is going to be an interesting day, isn't it?"

"Yeah," I nodded and fell in to his opened arms. "Just don't let me go, please."

"I wasn't planning on doing so," he whispered next to my forehead. "We'll be together, Sunshine. I'll find a way. Have faith in me, please,"


	19. Chapter 19

**Tangled in this Love**

AN: I finally got out of my writer's block for this story. I am taking advantage of this weekend to update on my stories. I like this chapter. It's a meaningful ending. It's still not the end, but soon. There is so much that I can do with this story. The conversation that Byron Adam and Leah are having is from Salvation, chapter 16. Anyways, review, please! =_=

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**A Promise**

Sunshine's POV

We sat on the hotel bed my parents were staying at. Byron Adam sat in the middle, holding Caleigh's hand, and mine. He's always been so protective over us; he never changed. He always did so when we were little. Caleigh hung her head low, Byron looked at the floor, and I stared down at my free hand. I had the bracelet that Caleb had given me and I would never take it off. Our bittersweet goodbye was cut short, when I got my mother's phone call that she was outside the apartment building where Caleb lived. I kissed him and hugged him tightly, taking in his face, his lips, eyes, and the color of his hair and the warmth of his skin. I slowly let go of Adam's hand and flopped back on the bed, looking at the ceiling, as we waited for Dad to reprimand us for leaving Washington without his permission.

I closed my eyes and cried, as I remembered Caleb's face.

"Here," Caleb said, placing a small gift bag in my hands. "I got it a few days ago. I was meaning to give it to you sooner, but due to the circumstances," he stopped and reached in to the bag. He pulled out a small velvety box and smiled sheepishly at me. "You know that it's tradition to give your girl a pendant or bracelet," he said timidly, opening the box, revealing a beautiful diamond encrusted bracelet, with a moon charm and different wolf charms howling at the moon. "I should've made it, but I suck at carving. I went to the jewelry store and had them design it especially for you, Sunny."

"Thank you," I said breathlessly, as he took my wrist and gently put on the bracelet on. "It's beautiful," I said with a gasp, admiring my precious gift. "I'm never taking it off."

"I'm glad that you like it," he smiled, showing his beautiful white smile. "I also got you a phone," he said, his expression changing. "It should be arriving to my parents' house."

"Why there?" I asked confused.

"Well, um," he sighed and raked his fingers through his hair. "Just in case your parents take your phone from you. Jordan is going to give it to you as soon as it gets there."

"Oh, all right,"

"Yeah," he muttered, taking my hands in his and sighed. "I had a great time with you. I'm going to miss you terribly. This week I am going to start the paperwork to get transfer to Washington. I don't know how long it is going to take, but I'll be there with you. I'm not going to stop fighting for you."

Letting go of his hands, I brushed a tear away from my eye. "I'm going to miss you," I cried, getting on my tiptoes and grabbing his face in my hands. "You have no idea, how much I'm going to miss you." I said, pressing my lips to his.

"I love you," he said sadly, tangling his hand in my hair. "I'll be in Washington soon. I'm going to be close to you. I swear. I'll talk to your parents. We are going to be together again."

"I can't wait until that day comes," I whispered against his lips.

"We gotta go, Sun," My brother Adam pulled me away from him, repeating that it was time to leave. "Mom and Dad are waiting for us outside."

"One more minute," I begged, but he shook his head and grabbed the collar of my shirt.

"I'll miss you, Byron," Marie said from the hallway. I looked at my brother and he sighed sadly. He glanced over his shoulder and smiled dejectedly over to Marie. "Bye, I'll call you."

"You memorized my phone, right?" she asked despondently. "I'll be at my family's house in the next few days."

"Where?" Byron asked animatedly.

"It's in Forks," she said softly. "I'll be there."

"Great," he said smiling. "I'll see you soon then,"

"Bye, Marie, it was a pleasure meeting you," I waved, as I let my brother drag me out of the apartment. "I love you, Caleb!" I shouted, but the door of his apartment closed and I couldn't see his face anymore.

I stood there, waiting for Caleigh to join us. My brother's arm was wrapped around my neck, and his chin rested on the crown of my head. "It's going to be all right," he reassured me, but his tone wasn't assuring. "We'll see them again. Mom and Dad can only keep us away from them for a while. They can't hold us against our will. They know the power of imprinting."

I nodded, staring wretchedly at the door. I wanted to break free from my brother's grasp, but it was useless. He held me securely, as we waited for Caleigh. She was the last one to exit the apartment. She walked ahead of us in to the elevator. I took one last glimpse in to the hall that led to Caleb's apartment and wept. He wanted to speak to my parents, but I had a feeling that it would only make matters worst. I begged him to let me solve it. He reluctantly agreed.

As the doors to the elevator closed, I felt a chill run down my spine. What if this was the last time that I saw him? My heart ached at the simple thought. I was crying as the elevator descended. Caleigh turned to me and gave me a spontaneous hug.

"It'll be alright," she said. "You'll see him again." She said, setting my mind at ease. "Your girl too, Byron Adam. Sooner than expected." She smiled, slowly letting go of me.

The rest of the ride down the elevator was quiet. The moment that we reached the lobby, we saw our parents. Dad's arms were crossed over his chest, his lips were pressed together, and the famous Brooks' scowl was on his forehead. Mom didn't look as angry as we expected. She remained closed to my father.

Caleigh stood in the middle of the room, quiet, afraid to meet our father's gaze. "You guys go ahead," she said to us.

"No, we are here for you," Adam said, shaking his head. "We are all responsible for deceiving our parents. If someone is going to get punished, it should be all of us."

"No, I'm responsible." Cal said firmly. "Go ahead of me. I have to talk to Dad,"

"No, we are staying with you," I said, touching my sister's shoulder. She growled and raised her hands.

"Go ahead of me," she said irritated.

"Fine, but we won't be too far if you need us," Adam said and ushered me to follow him.

We walked past our father, who was grunting angrily. Mom swatted him on the side and shook her head. "No, Benedict."

"I'm angry at them, Leah," Dad said childishly.

"We promised to talk to them," Mom said and kissed my father's cheek. "I think that Caleigh has something to say to you. I'll take the other two back to the hotel." Mom said, reading along the lines of Caleigh's behavior. "You two, come with me. We have a lot to talk about."

"Yes, ma'am," I whispered, causing Mom to whip her head at me and chuckle. "I meant, yes, mom."

"You two have so much explaining to do," Mom said, walking past the revolving doors, until we were outside. The spring sun was high on the sky, illuminating the city. It was so different from Washington, which was always casted behind solid ominous cloudbanks.

Mom walked ahead of us. She had on a tight gray business suit, with five inch high heels, that caused her hips to sway provocatively. The men on the street turned their heads to her direction. If I didn't know better, I would say that she wasn't my mother. She looked too beautiful and so youthful. Adam and I continued following her, keeping our distance. We didn't know how our mom was going to react. Leah Clearwater was a tough, badass, motherfucking chick. No one messed with her. We've heard about her glorious reputation.

"Keep up," Mom said, snapping her fingers for us to hurry up. I walked faster, trying to catch up with her. Mom was a little over six feet and it'd always been hard to catch up with her. "I'm hungry and tired of wearing these awful heels."

"Then why are you wearing them?" I asked.

She stopped and turned to face me. "You'll know soon," she said, her expression difficult to read. We followed her to the rental car. She glared at us to get in. Adam sat in the front, still holding to his duffel bag and mine. "You can put your belongings in the back."

"No, it's fine, Mom," he said, turning to look toward the building we'd just exited. He sighed again and got out of the front seat and placed his duffel bag near my feet and the other one on top of it. "It won't bother you, right?"

"No, it's fine," I said, getting in the back seat and putting on my seatbelt. I gulped hard and closed the door. Adam and Mom got in the car and she drove us to a small restaurant near the lake. She offered us food, but how can I eat, when my heart was partially broken and I didn't feel like living if Caleb wasn't beside me.

Mom ordered me cheese ravioli and a Cesar salad. I didn't eat it; Adam grabbed a few forkfuls and sighed as he ate. Mom continued to stare at us, resting her elbows on the table and an irritated look on her eyes.

"What's going on?" she finally snapped. "You leave Washington to come to Illinois without telling me or your father. And you are the one that get to pout and sulk? I don't think so." She said, shaking her head.

"We are sorry, Mom," I said, pushing my plate away. "I couldn't help it. I needed to see Caleb. My heart couldn't take it anymore. Remember how depressed you were when Dad went to Seattle and stayed for a few days… imagine that tenfold. I was miserable without him. I am in love with him. I give everything that I have just to be near him." I said, venting my frustration.

"I know how she feels," Adam said, grabbing the napkin and cleaning his face. "Mom, can I ask you something?" Mom narrowed her eyes and nodded. "You did crazy things when you were young, right?"

"I don't understand what you are trying to get at," she said, grabbing her wine cup and held it to her lips. "I didn't do such outrageous things like leave the state and come-"

"You did worst, Mom," I said, crossing my eyes and huffing. "Grandma told us many things about you."

"That's beside the point," she said, taking a sip of her drink. "This is not about me. I paid my dues. My mother would ground me for doing crazy shit like the one you three pulled on your father and me. And why do you have Marie's scent on you?" she asked annoyed. "I can smell that leech-wolf mix anywhere."

"Mom," Adam continued. "Why do you hate Marie?"

"I don't hate her," she said, looking at him intently. "I just don't want you getting hurt. She is the cause of many of our problems. If your father finds out that you two and Caleigh were with her, he'll flip."

"We were with her," I said, touching my brother's hand. "She's kind. I can't hate her,"

"Neither can I," Byron Adam said sorrowful. "She's beautiful, kind and those eyes..."

"You sound just like your Uncle." Mom said, rolling her eyes.

Adam leaned back on his chair and sighed. "Mom, do you think that I act too much like Uncle Byron."

"Yeah, at times, why?" she asked, pushing her long bangs away from her face.

"Is that bad?"

"What's wrong with acting like your uncle? It's strange, but there at times that I think that he's with us… in a way… through you."

"What if in a strange and sick way… I was part of him."

"Doubt it," she said confused. "You are very much like him, except, you are quiet and he was rambunctious."

"What if I remember things from his past, Mom?" Adam asked softly.

"Impossible,"

"There are many things that I dream of and remember. Things that happened long ago, before I was even born."

"Like what?"

"He loved Marie more than his own imprint,"

"Yes," Mom sighed. "Everyone knows that story. He loved Marie and so did Emerson. He was her soul mate."

"What if Marie had another soul mate?"

"Doubt it too," Mom sighed heavily and signaled the waiter for more wine. "You only get one soul mate."

"Mom, even nature isn't perfect," Adam said furiously. "When a wolf meets his mate, they are monogamous. They stick together, until one of them dies. If one of them dies, then the wolf finds another mate that can carry his or her traits to the next generation. What if-"

"It's impossible,"

"Mom, but," I paused and looked at waiter pouring Mom's wine.

"Thank you," Mom said and we watched him leave the table.

"Mom," I said, but stopped when I glimpsed at Adam's gloomy face. "You can't possibly say that it is impossible. Because,"

"No, Sunny," Adam said, snatching Mom's wine cup from her. "You remember when Byron came to you one day. It had been raining,"

"Is this a joke?" she asked angrily.

"No… he asked you if you hated him for hurting your Brittany. You said, 'I can't hate you, because I know how hard it is to fight against something that dictates your life.'" He said and slammed the glass on the table, making it shake. He then grabbed his fork and continued eating. Mom stared stunned.

"No one was there,"

"I was," Adam said ignoring Mom's words. "You even said 'I know how sick life can be and I want you to know that I'll support you a hundred percent in all your decisions. I know that you never meant to hurt my niece and I've seen the way you still love Marie. I know that what you feel for Marie is true. I can guarantee you that she loves you still'."

"How did you know about that?" Mom stuttered. "You weren't born. No one knew of that conversation."

"I know many things, because somewhere inside me, in my soul or my heart, Byron is there." He said, sulking. "Where you a hypocrite, Mom?"

"Byron Adam," I gasped.

"No, he loved Marie so much. Even after imprinting on my niece, he couldn't forget her." she said, a tear falling down her flawless face. "He loved her to the point of fighting for her to his last breathe. And so did her. She never forgot your uncle."

"And I never stopped loving her." Adam said, getting up from the table and looked down at us. "I'm going back to the car. I'll wait outside." He walked away, offering me a sympathetic smile. I looked over to Mom and saw her staring at the direction he took. Her hands trembled, but not the way they did when she was angry.

"What did he mean by that?" she muttered.

"He imprinted on her." I finished, lowering my head. "He's crazy in love with her. Just the way you are crazy in love with Dad. He waited so long to be with her… two lifetimes and now that they found each other… don't take it away from him, please." I cried and stood up from my chair. "I love you Mom. I know that you are fair when it comes to punishing us… But please, don't take me away from Caleb. Don't hate Michael for loving Caleigh. Don't push Marie away from Adam. Please, you know how much it hurts to be away from Dad… imagine how we must be feeling right now." I said, my hand over my heart as I cried.

Mom leaped from her seat and hugged me tightly. Her tears falling down on top of my head. She slowly pulled me away from her and tucked a few strands away from my face. "I won't Sunshine. I promise you that I won't."


	20. Chapter 20

**Tangled in This Love**

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It's been like forever, right? This is one of the last chapters of the story. I hope that you like it. The next one should be out soon. Thank you for the love and appreciation!

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**Last Days**

I never believed in miracles. I knew that they existed, just not for me. They weren't meant for me; my life was meant to never have a happy ending. I sighed, and closed my eyes as I listened to Caleb's deep, sensual voice. I don't know how I thought that I could live without him. It'd been three months since I last saw him - since I physically held his hand or kissed his lips. It was useless; I missed Caleb. I missed him so much. Definitely, I was destined to live a life of sorrow if he wasn't near me... Okay, maybe I'm being too dramatic, but it's the truth! I needed Caleb with me. Three months, five days, seventeen hours, eighteen minutes and forty-eight seconds without him! Oh, the tragedy! Three months since I held his hand, since I kissed him or held him tightly. I was lost without him. The world was dull and uneventful without him. I felt alive only when I got to talk to him on the phone or we chatted online. Those were the only moments when I felt alive! When it was time to hang up, I always feel empty.

"Were you talking to Caleb?" Caleigh asked, when she walked in to the kitchen.

I smiled at her, since I rarely got to see her. After we got back from Chicago, Mike Uley talked to my dad. He practically begged Dad to give Caleigh's hand off in marriage. Dad wouldn't hear him out and constantly kicked him out of the house. Those were fun moments, but they only lasted a few days, because Mom took matters into her own hands. She agreed to their marriage, only if Mike promised to finish college. Mom also convinced Dad to agree to let them get married. After getting my father's approval - which it's all thanks to Mom's intervention - they went to the courthouse - I was the photographer - signed the papers, and were married in a ten minute ceremony. Two weeks after Caleigh and Mike's wedding, she came home begging Dad to go with her to her OB-GYN appointment. Dad was skeptical. Mom's last pregnancy wasn't the happiest, but he agreed to go. I don't know what happened then, but when he came back, he had a small, grayish rectangual paper in his hands and he couldn't stop staring. He framed it and placed it next to the pictures of his deceased brother. It was my nephew's/niece's first sonogram. We still didn't know the sex. We just knew that we already loved the child.

"Yeah," I whispered, placing the cellphone in my purse. I got up from the chair and walked towards the kitchen counter and hop on it. "He calls me every afternoon."

"That's nice," Caleigh said, opening the fridge door and took out the milk cartoon and drank straight out of it. "When is he moving back here?"

I shrugged. "We don't know. He's anxious, though. His boss hasn't given him a specific date on when he can start working in the bank in Seattle." I said uninterested. "You are such a pig, Caleigh." I said, shaking my head. "You could pour the milk in a glass, idiot."

"I know," she said nonchalantly. "I just don't care."

"Ugh, you are hopeless. You are pregnant, not handicapped. You could easily go to the cupboard and grab yourself a glass or a mug,"

"Anyways, I hope he comes soon," she said, placing the milk cartoon in her other hand. "I can't stand you like this - or seeing you look so depressed. So like the good older sister that I am," she paused, leaning against the counter next to me. "I came over to get you two... I'm having a BBQ at home. I invited a few of the pack members and their wives, girls or whatever to celebrate my wedding."

"I don't want to go anywhere," I sighed, looking out the window. It was drizzling outside; the sun was still high on the horizon. "I don't feel like going out. And you have been married for two months."

"Girl, when you are in love... you want to celebrate it with friends," Caleigh breathed. "What's wrong with you and Byron?" she asked, crossing her arms over her chest. She shook her head and exhaled dramatically. "You two act like lovesick puppies. All you do is practice your violoncello and Byron Adams doesn't do anything. He stopped helping Harrison and Uncle Seth in the construction company... The kid's been cooped in his room all summer doing nothing... You two need to get out and have fun. Live a little."

"How can we, when half of our heart is somewhere else? Adam hasn't seen Marie since this spring, because - who knows why!" I said, jumping off the counter and walked to where she stood. I placed my hand over her stomach and smiled up at her. "Did you find out the sex of the baby?" I asked, changing the subject.

"No, not yet. I wish I knew," she confessed, placing her hand over mine. "I hope it's a little girl. She's gotta be as cute as you."

"I pity her," I said, rolling my eyes. "And for your information, I've been outside. I went shopping with Mom and Dad. Well, they forced me to go out with them. I even got a haircut... well, they trimmed the ends. I also bought you some clothes."

"You did?"

"Yep," I nodded. "They are in my room. Come, follow me," I said, taking her hand and guided her out the kitchen. "I think that you are gonna like them."

"I'm gonna love it. I love anything that you give me." Caleigh said excitedly as she followed me. We walked up the stairs and passed Byron Adam's room. His door was opened widely and he was sitting near the window, watching the rain fall.

"Hey, buddy," Caleigh said, stopping in the middle of the hall. "What are you up to?"

"Nothing," Byron shrugged. "What are you doing here?" he asked, turning his head to face the door. "Is Mike around? I didn't hear him. He's not gonna ask me to go fishing with him again, is he?"

"No, he's doing me a favor,"

"Oh, I see," Byron said and stood up from his reclining chair and flopped on his bed. "How's the pregnancy going? Did you tell Mom that you were coming?"

"Nah, she knew I had plans to steal my siblings. Plus, she's on another date with Dad," Caleigh said, gesturing him to roll to the side. "Move, dummy. I can't be on my feet for too long." She said, smirking.

Byron looked at me and motioned me to join them on his bed. I sighed, rolled my eyes, and walked over to them. We remained seated on the bed, listening to Caleigh tell us about her future baby plans. She told us about Mike Uley wanting a little girl and of the name they chosen for their future child.

"Oh, and I forgot to mention," she said, smacking her lips together. "I have a surprise for you two. It's not so special, but it's still a surprise."

"For us?" Byron asked interested, his eyes focused on our sister. She nodded, an impish smile on her lips. "What's the surprise?"

"I can't tell you," she said wickedly and stood up from the bed. "Now, if you two excuse me. I have to go to the bathroom and tinkle."

"Okay," Byron nodded.

"When I come back," she paused and stretched her arms. "You two better be getting ready to come with me."

"I don't want to go anywhere," I sighed and looked out the window.

"Oh, Sunshine," Caleigh said. "You'll come with me… and so will you, Byron."

She left the room, leaving my brother and me staring at each other quizzically. Five minutes later, she came back in to the room, looking as tire as before and plopped on the reclining chair. I excused myself and went to my bedroom and changed. When I was done, I grabbed the three gift bags that I had for Caleigh and walked back to my brother's room. When I entered his room, Caleigh was telling him about Mike stopping at the airport to pick up an old friend of his.

"I'm ready," I said, giving my sister the gift bags. "These are for you. I hope that you like them. Mom helped me picked out some of the baby onecies and suits." I said shyly. I watched my sister look in the bags and then she looked up at me, with tears in her eyes. "Why are you crying? You don't like them?"

"I love them," she said, getting to her feet. "They are beautiful. I love them. I love you, Sunshine." She said happily and brought me in to a hug. "Come here, dummy." She said to my brother and when he was standing close to us, she included him in the hug.

Caleigh cried for a few more minutes and finally let us go. Twenty minutes later, we were driving down the highway. She was driving towards La Push. Byron Adam and I stared at each other. I leaned back against the seat and looked out the window. An hour later, it was starting to rain heavily and we were pulling in to a familiar driveway. It was Mike and Caleigh's small cabin. The one that Emily and Sam once owned.

"Why are there so many cars parked in your driveway?" I asked intrigued.

"Oh, I told you, Sunny, we have a few guests," Caleigh said casually. "Come on, let's get out of here, and greet my guests."

"Ugh, I don't want to," Byron and I said simultaneously. "I don't want to greet anyone."

"Nope," Caleigh said, crossing her arms over her chest. "No excuses. You two monkeys are coming with me."

"Why did you bring us here?" Byron said. "I don't want to greet anyone. I'm in no mood to have conversations with your in-laws."

"You two are so depressing." Caleigh shrugged and pulled her cellphone out of the glove compartment when it started ringing. "Give me a minute," she said, raising her hand. "Hey, it's me, sweetie. Mmm-hmm, yes, I'm outside. Yes, I brought my brother. Did you do what I asked you to do?" She waited for Mike to answer and then she nodded. "Good. We are going inside." She closed her cellphone and tossed it in her purse. "Okay, let's get moving."

"Fine," I muttered, unbuckling my seatbelt. "Fine. I'm out. Byron, let's go. Let's get this shit over with."

The moment that I stepped out the vehicle, I felt the familiar pull. It was subtle, but the closer I got to my sister's house the stronger it became. I placed my hand over my heart and gulped the invisible, dry lump that formed in my throat.

"Caleigh," I began. "I feel… I feel strange…"

"My stomach hurts," Byron whined. "What are you planning? Why did we come here? Why did you bring us here?"

"She's planning something." I said under my breath, looking around and saw Emily and Sam Uley sitting on the porch furniture. They were smiling and chatting. Sam looked up at us and waved a warm smile on his face. Emily's eyes filled with happiness when she saw my sister. She stood up from the patio furniture and walked towards us. "Caleigh, why did you bring us here?"

"It's a surprise," she said contently, walking in to Emily's arms. "Hi, Em, how's it going? Is Tim back?"

"I'm fine," Emily said. "Mike isn't here and Tim and the rest of them are in there. Mike should be arriving soon. He'd to stop for gas."

"Good," Caleigh smiled. "That gives me time to change and prepare for the BBQ. Guys," she said, turning to face us. "Let's go inside."

I reluctantly walked behind her, nodding my head to greet Sam and Emily Uley. She waved at me and Sam returned my gesture. When we walked inside, Caleigh took off her jacket and placed it on the coat rack next to the entrance door. She motioned us to follow her, she stopped by the living room, and we saw Tim and three other pack members watching a basketball game.

"Hey, guys," Tim said, his eyes fixed on the large screen. "It's been a while since we've seen each other." He chuckled, lifting his beer to his lips. "Come and seat and enjoy the game. The BBQ should start soon."

"What are you doing here?" Byron asked quizzically, sitting next to Tim. "Where's Mia? Is she here?"

"She's in the kitchen," Tim began and with a sly grin, he pointed at the kitchen with his beer. "How are you?"

"I'm fine," Byron said, shrugging and turned to watch the game. "A little uneasy. You know what I mean?"

"No, not really," Tim smiled. "But I have an idea why,"

"You do?"

"Tim, leave my brother alone," Caleigh sighed. "Come on, I have a surprise for you…"

"No, let me tell him." Mia said from the kitchen. We turned around and saw her pretty head peeking out the kitchen door. "Come here, By." She said excitedly, disappearing in to the kitchen.

"Um, do you know what she wants?" Byron asked confused. He looked back at Caleigh and then at Tim who was grinning suspiciously.

"Go with Mia if you want to know," Tim grinned. "You should go and check out what Mia is hiding in the kitchen."

"Marie? My Marie is here, isn't she?" Byron asked excitedly. "My Marie is here?" He laughed, sauntering over to where Caleigh and I stood.

"Yeah," Caleigh nodded. "She's here. GO to her, silly. I knew that I couldn't keep that a surprise for too long."

Byron leaned down and kissed my sister's forehead. "You are the best sister in the world."

"Hmm," I said, clearing my throat.

"You two are the greatest!" he said, sauntering to the kitchen. I followed after him and smiled when I saw Marie running into my brother's arms. It was a beautiful and moving scene. I felt tears sting my eyes. It wasn't everyday that I got to see my brother smile, since he imprinted on Marie Black.

"You are evil, Caleigh," I said, wiping a lone tear with my index. "I'm glad that he's happy."

"Yeah, me too," she said, placing an arm over my shoulders. "By the way, why don't you help out with the BBQ or go for a walk? It's such a beautiful day."

"No, it's not! It's raining!" I whined. "I just want to seat down and watch the game… or something," I said, walking to the couch, but Caleigh stopped me.

"No, go out and walk around!" she said, taking me by the upper arm. We walked through the kitchen and stopped by the door. I waved at Mia and watched Marie, who was engrossed in a conversation with my brother. Her hands were on his shoulder and there were happy tears falling down her cheeks. "Sunshine Marie," Caleigh said sternly, catching my attention. "Listen to me," she paused. "Go outside and go for a walk. Go visit Grandma and Grandpa. They should be at their house. Here's an umbrella. Just go and do something. I'm gonna call you when we start the BBQ, got it?"

I nodded, taking the umbrella in my hand. I hesitated, but finally exited her house. I walked for twenty minutes, until I saw my grandparents' familiar house. I found myself smiling. I loved them and knowing that I would spend some time with them, made me feel nostalgic and melancholic. I continued trudging down the muddy road, when I saw a flash of gray past by the woods. I stopped on my tracks and looked around. I sped down the road, until I was a few meters away from my grandparents' house, when a large gray wolf with dark spots, stood before me. I walked closer to it, as I approached it; my heart began to beat harder.

"Caleb?" I asked in a whispered, but the wolf didn't respond. Of course not, it wouldn't talk, but it didn't nod or did anything to indicate that it was Caleb. I stood still, watching it, trying to understand the situation. "Are you Caleb?" I asked softly. Again, no answer. I stared into the gray eyes and felt empty inside. I knew who this wolf was. I knew that it wasn't Caleb. It couldn't be. "Jordan?" I asked, my eyes focused on the light eyes. It nodded its head and moved closer, closing the gap between us. My hand flew to touch it, sinking my fingers in its thick hair. I buried my face on the nook of its neck and wept. "When will I see my Caleb? My beautiful and wonderful, Caleb." I whispered, as tears fell down my face. "I miss him!" I cried, leaning my weight on the wolf.

"How touching," I heard someone chuckling from behind us. I moved away from Jordan and turned around. There Caleb stood. He wore a white buttoned shirt and khaki pants and was drenched in rain water. My heart skipped a few beats, my breath hitched on my lungs and I launched myself at him. "Now this is much better!" Caleb said, bringing his arms around me. He kissed my forehead and rested his chin on the crown of my head. "I missed you, Sunshine."

"I missed you too," I said, pulling away from him. When I turned around, Jordan was gone. He'd disappeared. I swallowed hard and reached my hand to touch Caleb's face. He was smiling so beautifully. I couldn't help smiling and crying. I'd waited... no, anticipated this moment for so long. "I missed you."

"I missed you too, princess." he said, touching the necklace I constantly wore. It was a constant reminder of his promise to me. "You are wearing the charm that I gave you."

"I always wear it,"

"Good," he smiled satisfied. He then scanned the area and sighed. "Do you know where we are?"

I shook my head and took his hand, afraid to let him go. I felt like this was a dream and I would soon wake up. "Is this a dream?"

"No, Sun," he chuckled. "This is real." He leaned forward, cupped my face in his hand and kissed me softly. "Does it feel like a dream?"

"No, I don't know. Kiss me again!" I said, a bout of fresh tears falling down my face. "Kiss me again," He did as I asked and I closed my eyes, letting the touch of his lips against mine carry me to heaven. When he pulled away, he caressed my cheek and once again, looked around.

"This is the same place where you first stole a kiss from me, Sunshine," he said knowingly, as he eyed the perimeter. "Yes. It was a day like today. I remember it like it was yesterday."

"I don't care about that day," I said, looking down at the wet grass. "I care about today. Today is all that I care about... and what our tomorrow will bring. Are you here to stay?"

"Yeah," he smiled. "I'm here to stay. I'm not going anywhere."

"So, you are going to work at the bank in Seattle?" I asked intrigued. He shook his head. "Then what are you doing here? I mean, besides being with me... right, you still want to be with me?" I asked confused.

"Of course, silly," he said, pinching my cheek. "I decided to make a career change. I've spoken with your uncle Seth and we are gonna start a business in this area. I think that things are going to get better from here on. I'm still moving to Seattle to be near you. I want to see you prosper in your studies and in your future caree-" I didn't let him finish. I was kissing him, afraid that I would wake up and be gone.


End file.
